The World Health Organisation (WHO) in its latest report said that a new variant of COVID-19 XE recombinant has been found in the United Kingdom. The new mutant may be more transmissible than any strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the WHO warned.

The new variant XE is said to be a mutant hybrid of the Omicron variant - BA'1 and BA.2 and was first detected in the UK on January 19, 2022.

"Early-day estimates indicate a community growth rate advantage of 10 per cent as compared to BA.2. However, this finding requires further confirmation," the WHO said in its latest update.

So far a total of 637 cases of the XE strain have been confirmed in the UK. 

“XE continues to belong to the Omicron variant until significant differences in transmission and disease characteristics, including severity, may be reported," the WHO said.