The new "XEC" COVID-19 variant spreading rapidly in Europe has arrived in the US. What are the symptoms, will it cause a fall surge, and are vaccines effective? Experts discuss

The XEC COVID variant is in the U.S. A UT infectious disease specialist says there's likely no need to panic, as the strain is similar to existing ones.

At the end of June this year, a new variant of COVID-19, designated as XEC, was first detected in Germany and India. It is expected to spread to other contininents. On Wednesday, the British "Independent" reported that over 500 samples tested for the presence of XEC had been detected.