A new COVID variant, XEC, has arrived just before fall. The new variant has sprouted from the omicron variant that was first identified in late 2021. It’s possible that XEC may “become the dominant subvariant over the winter,” Francois Balloux, director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, told the BBC.

Researchers indicate that the vaccine and booster shots should protect against the new variant. Here is what we know about the XEC variant and what you can do to stay healthy.

Some of the earliest U.S. cases were reported in Virginia.

As COVID-19 activity remains high in the United States, a new variant called XEC has emerged and is spreading rapidly in Europe and other parts of the world. Only a handful of cases have been detected in the U.

A new COVID-19 variant spreading overseas is now expected to become the primary strain in the U.S., possibly before the arrival of winter.