The new variant, XE, is a mutant hybrid of two versions of Omicron - BA.1 and BA.2. It only accounts for a small fraction of cases across the globe at the moment.
"The XE recombinant (BA.1-BA.2), was first detected in the UK on January 19 and less than 600 sequences have been reported and confirmed since," the
WHO said in a report released earlier this week.
"Early-day estimates indicate a community growth rate advantage of 10 percent as compared to BA.2, however, this finding requires further confirmation," the global health body added.