A new highly transmissible coronavirus subvariant is starting to spread in the United States. Experts say it could become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain just in time for winter, when COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations tend to peak.
The variant is called XEC. It’s a subvariant of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain, which has spawned multiple descendants since it surfaced in the U.S. in 2021. XEC first appeared in Germany in June 2024 before spreading rapidly throughout other parts of Europe.