Experts warn of possible XE subvariant outbreak in Japan

Public health experts have warned of a possible outbreak of the XE subvariant of the omicron coronavirus variant in Japan, where signs of a potential seventh COVID-19 wave are emerging. The health ministry said Monday that it had detected the XE strain for the first time in Japan, in a woman in her 30s who arrived from the United States on March 26. She was asymptomatic upon arrival. XE is a mix of two earlier omicron subvariants, BA.1 and BA.2. It was first identified in mid-January in Britain, where about 1,100 infection cases had been reported as of April 5, according to Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases. In Britain, the XE subvariant accounts for less than 1% of total COVID-19 cases, according to the institute. XE cases have also been detected in countries such as the United States and Denmark. The XE subvariant is believed to be about 12.6% more transmissible than BA.2,...