COVID XEC variant Canada: What you need to know [Video]

The start of fall means more people are thinking about protecting themselves from the flu and other illnesses, including COVID-19.

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While many Canadians no longer stress as much about COVID-19 as they did during its peak, health experts say a new variant has been spreading in some parts of the world and is now present in Canada.

Here’s what health officials say you need to know about COVID XEC.

What is COVID-19 XEC and how is it different from other variants?

COVID XEC is a hybrid of Omicron subvariants KS.1.1 and KP.3.3, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The COVID XEC variant was first detected on May 16 and 28 countries have reported sequences of it as of Sept. 18, World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Amna Smailbegovic said in an email to CTVNews.ca …