The strain found in Melbourne wastewater will be confirmed as either BA.4 or BA.5, both of which were recently discovered variants of Omicron. The variant, which has not been found before in Australia, was found in the Tullamarine River Basin, northwest of the city. The news comes as Covid cases remain high and lead to the busy Easter weekend, as thousands of people socialize and mingle on non-social distance flights. The news of the discovery of a new Covid strain comes as cases remain high and thousands of people socialize and mingle on non-social distance flights at Easter. In the photo: Family members at Perth airport The strain found in the Melbourne sewage (pictured) will be confirmed as either BA.4 or BA.5, which are both recently discovered variants of the Omicron Australia recorded 54,048 new cases in Covid on Friday, continuing a daily trend of more than 50,000 cases since the end of March. Thirty-four deaths were reported across the country. Brett Sutton, Victoria’s chief health minister, said he was “not surprised but not worried” by the new chief’s arrival. “The point with all emerging genealogies is that when they outperform existing variants, we have increased case pressure and a higher risk of becoming infected,” he said on Twitter.
Experts have warned of our open borders and relaxation on Covid restrictions means we will see more XE cases and also other potentially more deadly strains. In the photo: Covid test in Sydney The first Australian XE Covid case, a hybrid of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 strains, has been identified in New South Wales

Everything we know about the XE variant:

    The recombinant XE Covid variant is a hybrid of Omicron strains BA.1 and BA.2. XE is a combination mainly of the BA.2 spike protein, but also has genes from BA.1 Early data indicate that XE is 10 % more contagious than BA.2 strain, which remains prevalent in Australia More than 1,100 cases have been reported in the UK since January.  It has also been detected in Canada, Japan, Thailand, Israel and India.  Current vaccines are expected to be effective against XE in preventing serious diseases

The director general of the World Health Organization has confirmed that the virus is becoming more and more contagious. “This virus has become more contagious over time and remains deadly especially to the vulnerable and the unvaccinated who do not have access to health care and antiviral drugs,” said Tentros Ananom. “Currently, there are a number of Omicron subcategories that we are closely monitoring, including BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5, and another recombinant has been detected, consisting of BA.1 and BA.2.” He said the best way to stay safe was to get vaccinated and boosted if recommended. BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron have been confirmed in only a few cases, mainly in South Africa, Britain and Europe. Early signs are that BA.4 and BA.5 are similar to other Omicron strains. But both are considered “currently worrying variants” by the WHO, along with the recombinant strain XE, which was confirmed in a positive case in NNO. A traveler returning to Australia from abroad tested positive for XE, according to NSW Health. NSW Health’s weekly Covid review confirmed only one positive case in the last week of the case data analyzed. Covid-19’s new highly contagious XE strain found on a recently returned traveler The XE strain is a combination of the two Omicron variant subtypes BA.1 and BA.2 and is said to be 10 percent more contagious than BA.2. “A recombinant XE (BA.1 / BA.2) has been identified in a sample collected in the week ended April 9, 2022,” said NSW Health. “This is the first XE sequence identified in New South Wales and found in a recently returned traveler.” Experts have warned that easing restrictions and reopening borders means more cases are inevitable, with the arrival of other more deadly variants also very likely. XE is considered to have the characteristics of both previous executives and was first identified in January this year. 1,125 XE cases have been reported in the UK and have also been reported in Japan, India, Canada, Israel and Thailand. The XE is on the World Health Organization’s list of “currently disturbing variants” labeled Omicron. Delta is also a current variant of concern. Australia recorded 54,048 new cases in Covid on Friday, continuing the daily trend of more than 50,000 cases since the end of March So far, experts believe that existing vaccines are effective against XE, which causes serious illness in most people, because they work against BA.1 and BA.2. But vaccines have been shown to be less effective against symptomatic Omicron infection, including mild infections. Also, there are no early indications that it is more serious than previous versions of the Omicron. The UK Government’s Health Insurance Service is also monitoring two other notable variants. They are named XF and XD, which are both recombinant Delta and Omicron BA.1. The NSW Health Covid weekly report confirmed that BA.2 “continues to be the dominant executive on the market” in NSW.