According to Nurmat Otabekov, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health, the XEC variant is a mutation of the Omicron strain, first detected in June 2024 in Germany. To date, XEC has been registered in 27 countries, but its symptoms remain within the typical range of respiratory infections and flu, including cough, mild shortness of breath, and fatigue.

Experts predict that the XEC variant will become dominant in the upcoming winter season, meaning it will be the most commonly recorded strain.

It is also noted that the existing vaccines against COVID-19 are effective against all identified strains, including the XEC mutation, and there is no need to develop a new vaccine. Moreover, according to international medical practice, most patients infected with the XEC strain recover fully within one to two weeks. Current treatment protocols and therapeutic methods yield the expected results.

"At present, the XEC strain has not been registered in Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, we have a sufficient stockpile of COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, the likelihood of a large-scale epidemic or pandemic occurring in our country is very low. This is due to the fact that the population’s herd immunity significantly reduces the risk of widespread transmission of the disease-causing agent within the country," said Nurmat Otabekov.

It is also emphasized that nearly 40,000 mutations of SARS-CoV-2 have been recorded worldwide. However, only about 20 of these mutations have caused illness.

Citizens are urged not to panic over the mutations of the coronavirus and to treat it as a seasonal illness, similar to respiratory infections and flu.