Botswana reports first case of COVID-19 Omicron XEC subvariant

GABORONE, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) — Botswana recorded a case of the Omicron XEC subvariant of COVID-19 early this month, an official has confirmed.
Christopher Nyanga, spokesperson for the Botswanan Ministry of Health, said on Thursday that the subvariant, which has already been detected in 43 other countries across the globe, was discovered through routine genomic sequencing efforts.
“The case involved a tourist who has since been transferred to South Africa for further care,” Nyanga said, noting that it is an isolated imported incident without any signs of an outbreak.
In accordance with global health protocols, the spokesperson said investigations and contact tracing were conducted but yielded no additional cases.
According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the XEC variant is a subvariant of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain, first reported in May 2024. ■