The variant, which first appeared in Berlin in late June, has increasingly seen hundreds of cases in Germany, France, Denmark and Netherlands, according to a report by Australia-based data integration specialist Mike Honey.

While XEC is not dominant in the United States, it could take hold by the late fall and winter, one health expert said in a newspaper interview.

The contagious nature of the new XEC COVID-19 variant is drawing attention. It has been found in China, Europe, and the United States. It is a hybrid of Omicron subvariants. Vaccines help prevent serious illness even though they may not offer complete protection against infection,