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XEC and KP.3.1.1 variants, symptoms, cases, data

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KP.3.1.1 is still the dominant COVID-19 variant in the United States as it accounts for nearly 60% of positive cases, but the XEC variant is not far behind, recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“CDC is monitoring the XEC variant,” Rosa Norman, a CDC spokesperson, told USA TODAY. “XEC is the proposed name of a recombinant or hybrid of the closely related Omicron lines KS.1.1 and KP.3.3.”

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

The CDC’s Nowcast data tracker, which provides COVID-19 estimates and projections for two-week periods, indicated that the KP.3.1.1 variant was responsible for 57.2% of positive infections, followed by XEC with 10.7% in the two-week period beginning September 29 and ending October 12.

KP.3.1.1 first became the leading variant between July 21 and August 3.

The latest data shows an increase in the percentage of total cases for each variant between September 15 and 28, with KP.3.1.1 increasing by 4.6% and XEC by 5.4%. Previously, the KP.3.1.1 variant made up 52.6% of cases and XEC accounted for 5.3% from September 15 to 28.

Here’s what you need to know about the XEC variant and the latest CDC data.

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What are the most dominant variants circulating in the United States?

The CDC’s Nowcast data tracker shows that the following strains are in the top 10 most dominant variant ratios:

Can’t see the table? Click here to view it.

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COVID-19 Map showing current viral activity levels in wastewater

Remark: Normally wastewater data is updated weekly and the published data shows the previous week’s results. However, it may take five days to a week for the results to be published online. The data from October 5 is therefore considered the most recent data.

Here is a map of the states and territories that have reported viral activity levels in wastewater. The data was published on October 10.

Can’t see the map? Click here to view it.

Here is an overview of the data shown on the map of the states and territories that have reported viral activity levels in wastewater:

Very high: Two states
High: 14 states
Moderate: 11 states
Low: 15 states
Minimum: seven states; one territory
No data: one state; one territory

Changes in COVID-19 test positivity within a week

Data collected by the CDC shows a decline in positivity rate across the board, while the four states in Region 10 saw the largest decline (-2.7%) in positive COVID-19 cases from September 29, 2024 to October 5, 2024 .

The data was posted on October 11th.

Remark: The CDC organizes the positivity rate based on regions, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Here is the list of changes in COVID-19 positivity rates of states and their regions over the past week:

Region 1 (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont): -2%
Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands): -1.9%
Region 3 (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia): -1.3%
Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee): -0.6%
Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin): -2%
Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas): -0.8%
Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska): -1.7%
Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming): -1.2%
Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands and Republic of Palau): -1.3%
Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington): -2.7%

The CDC data shows the COVID-19 test positivity rate was recorded on 7.7% by September 29 to October 5: an absolute change of -1.8% from the previous week.

Covid-19 symptoms

The variants currently dominating in the U.S. do not have specific symptoms of their own, the CDC says.

“CDC is not aware of any new or unusual symptoms associated with XEC or any other co-circulating lineage of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,” Norman said.

The government agency outlines the basic symptoms of COVID-19 on its website. These symptoms can occur between two and 14 days after exposure to the virus and can range from mild to severe.

These are some symptoms of COVID-19:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body pain
Headache
Loss of taste or smell
A sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

The CDC said you should seek medical care if you have the following symptoms:

Problems breathing
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion
Inability to wake up or stay awake
Pale, gray or blue colored skin, lips or nail beds

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter for USA TODAY’s National Trending Team. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, stories on crime, health, lotteries and public policy. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfinest.