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A new variant of the coronavirus has been reported worldwide and there are fears that it will soon become the predominant form of the disease.

Cases of the XEC variant, first discovered in Germany in June, have since been reported in the UK, US, Denmark and other countries. Experts believe the variant is now “gaining the upper hand” and will likely continue to spread around the world.

The strain has been detected in at least 15 countries and 12 U.S. states, according to Scripps Research’s Outbreak.info site, which tracks data from the Global Influenza Information Sharing Initiative (GISAID).

But Covid data analyst Mike Honey said the new variant was now present in hundreds of patients in 27 countries across Europe, North America and Asia. He said there had been particularly “strong growth” of XEC in Denmark and Germany.

The 15 confirmed countries are Slovenia, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Taiwan, France, Israel, Italy, Sweden, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, Spain and the United States.

The prevalence of XEC is lower in the United States and Canada, and peaked at 5.96% in Europe on August 19. Slovenia had high infection rates with the variant in August, with over 10% of samples from the country containing XEC.

The strain, a combination of the KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 variants, has symptoms similar to other Covid variants, including fatigue, headache, sore throat and high fever. However, researchers called for closer monitoring of the XEC variant to better understand its symptoms.

Prof Francois Balloux, director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, told the BBC that the XEC variant is more contagious but vaccines should still offer good protection because it is part of the omicron family. However, he says it is possible that XEC could become the dominant sub-variant over the winter.

The latest Covid data from the UK shows that the number of Covid cases has risen by 4.3 per cent week-on-week, with 1,465 Covid hospital admissions up to August 30. However, the data does not distinguish between different types of virus. The NHS is offering a free booster vaccine for people at higher risk of becoming seriously ill with Covid.

“At this point, the XEC variant appears to be the next to gain a foothold,” Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, wrote on X.

According to the British Health Security Agency (UKHSA), it is normal for viruses to mutate and change.