Health Care
New COVID Strain XEC: Should You Be Worried About a Fall Surge?
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The new XEC COVID-19 variant is spreading quickly, raising concerns among health experts. This recombinant variant, a combination of two previous strains, KP.3.3 and KS.1.1, is part of the omicron family. While XEC has been identified in various countries, including Europe, North America, and Asia, its full impact is still under study.
What is the XEC COVID Variant?
XEC is a recombinant variant formed when a person is infected with two strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This leads to a mix of genetic material, resulting in a new strain. XEC is a sublineage of the omicron variant, which has given rise to many of the recent COVID-19 variants.
XEC was first identified in Berlin in June 2024 and has since spread across 27 countries, with cases rising in Germany and Denmark. In the U.S., at least 95 cases of XEC have been reported across 12 states. However, it has not yet appeared on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) “Nowcast” estimates due to the limited number of cases.
Is XEC More Transmissible?
According to health experts, XEC appears to be highly contagious. Like other omicron variants, it spreads through respiratory droplets when an infected person talks, breathes, coughs, or sneezes. The variant is picking up speed, especially in Europe, and could become the dominant strain soon.
XEC has one mutation in its spike protein, which might contribute to its rapid transmission. However, there is no clear indication yet if it will outcompete other variants, such as the currently dominant KP.3.1.1 (DeFLuQE) variant in the U.S.
Will XEC Cause a Fall Surge in the U.S.?
COVID-19 has no specific “season,” but cases often spike in the winter. The experts suggest that XEC could contribute to a winter surge, but it’s still too early to predict the severity. The summer wave of 2024 was more prolonged than expected, which might provide some immunity and reduce the risk of a severe winter surge.
The emergence of new variants like XEC is always a concern, but not every new variant leads to a major outbreak. Some variants increase in prevalence, while others do not spread widely. Although XEC could drive a wave in the coming months, it’s uncertain how large that wave will be.
Symptoms of the XEC Variant
So far, XEC does not appear to cause unique symptoms compared to other omicron variants. The symptoms are generally mild and include:
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Headache and body aches
- Congestion
- Runny nose
- Fever or chills
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea or loss of appetite
- Diarrhea
- Loss of taste or smell
Symptoms vary from person to person, and some people may have no symptoms at all. High-risk individuals, such as those over 65 or with underlying health conditions, are more likely to experience severe illness.
Will Vaccines Protect Against XEC?
The updated COVID-19 vaccine for 2024–2025 is designed to target the KP.2 variant. Experts believe that this new vaccine will provide protection against XEC, as it is closely related to the current strains.
The new vaccines are expected to reduce severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths. While the vaccines may not completely prevent infection, they will offer significant protection against severe disease.
Health officials are urging people to get vaccinated, especially those at higher risk of severe illness. A low uptake of vaccines last year left many people vulnerable, with only 24% of the eligible population receiving the shot. The goal this year is to improve vaccination rates.
How to Protect Yourself from XEC
As XEC spreads, it’s essential to take steps to protect yourself. These include:
- Get Vaccinated: Stay up to date with the latest COVID-19 vaccine, which is available for everyone six months and older.
- Stay Home if Sick: If you have symptoms, avoid contact with others to prevent the spread.
- Test When Needed: Get tested if you experience COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to someone who tested positive.
- Wear Masks: In crowded indoor spaces, wearing a mask can reduce the risk of transmission.
- Improve Ventilation: Ensure good air circulation in indoor spaces to lower the risk of spreading the virus.
- Practice Good Hygiene: Regular handwashing and sanitizing can help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses.
- Avoid Large Gatherings: Limiting exposure in crowded settings can reduce your chances of getting infected.
Testing and Isolation Guidelines for XEC
COVID-19 tests are expected to detect the XEC variant. The CDC recommends that people test if they have symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. It is also a good idea to test before attending large gatherings, especially if high-risk individuals will be present.
Isolation is essential to prevent further spread of the virus. People who test positive should stay home until they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours and symptoms have improved. Antiviral treatments, like Paxlovid, are still effective against XEC and are recommended for those at higher risk of severe illness.
Future Outlook: What Can We Expect?
It is difficult to predict how XEC will impact the U.S. in the coming months. The variant is still relatively new, and experts are monitoring its spread. While XEC is contagious, it does not seem to be causing more severe disease than previous variants. Its symptoms are similar to those seen with other omicron strains.
The upcoming winter season could see an increase in COVID-19 cases, but the extent of that surge is uncertain. Experts suggest that the recent summer wave of infections may reduce the severity of a potential winter surge due to increased immunity.
The key to reducing the impact of XEC and other variants is vaccination. By staying up to date with vaccines, people can protect themselves and reduce the overall burden on healthcare systems.
The Importance of Fall Checkups and Vaccines
As fall approaches, it’s important to prioritize health checkups and stay up to date on vaccinations. Respiratory viruses, including COVID-19 and influenza, spread more easily in the colder months when people spend more time indoors. Vaccines play a crucial role in reducing the risk of severe illness during this time.
Even though XEC is a new variant, the vaccines currently available are expected to provide protection. Health experts recommend getting vaccinated as soon as possible, especially for high-risk individuals.
Recombinant variant XEC is continuing to spread, and looks a likely next challenger against the now-dominant DeFLuQE variants (KP.3.1.1.*).
Here are the leading countries reporting XEC. Strong growth in Denmark and Germany (16-17%), also the UK and Netherlands (11-13%).
🧵 pic.twitter.com/rLReeM9wF8— Mike Honey (@Mike_Honey_) September 15, 2024
Conclusion
The XEC variant is the latest in a series of COVID-19 strains that have emerged as the virus continues to mutate. While XEC is spreading quickly and raising concerns, it does not appear to be more dangerous than previous variants. Vaccines remain an essential tool in protecting against severe illness and death.
As we enter the winter season, it’s crucial to take preventive measures, including getting vaccinated, practicing good hygiene, and staying informed about the latest COVID-19 developments. Though the future of XEC remains uncertain, health officials continue to monitor its spread and offer guidance on how to stay safe.
In summary, XEC is a recombinant variant that may become more prominent in the coming months. Its symptoms are similar to other omicron variants, and the vaccines available are expected to offer protection. Taking steps to protect yourself and others will be vital as the fall and winter seasons approach.
Blog
Disney & Bath & Body Works Unveil Enchanting Princess Collection
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In an exciting new collaboration, Disney is teaming up with Bath & Body Works to launch a brand-new fragrance and body care collection inspired by some of the most beloved Disney princesses. This marks the first major partnership of its kind between the two iconic brands, bringing a magical touch to self-care routines everywhere.
A Fairytale Fragrance Collection
The collection will spotlight six Disney princesses, each with a unique scent crafted to capture their essence and the world they inhabit. From the enchanting aroma of gardenias for Cinderella to the tropical allure of plumeria for Moana, the collection aims to transport fans straight into their favorite Disney fairytales.
Liz Shortreed, Disney’s Senior Vice President for Consumer Products, expressed excitement about the collaboration, emphasizing the personal connection many fans feel toward Disney princesses. “Consumers can choose who they relate to most,” Shortreed said, highlighting how the fragrances were thoughtfully designed to reflect each princess’s personality.
Betsy Schumacher, Chief Merchandising Officer at Bath & Body Works, shared insights on the creative process behind the collection. “We wanted to personify each princess and also think about the environment she’s in. What does it smell like where she is? How do we bring our signature scents into the world of princesses?”
A Grand Selection of Products
The Disney Princess x Bath & Body Works collection will feature 85 different products, offering a variety of options for every fan. Shoppers can expect to find:
- Fine fragrance mists
- Body washes
- Lotions
- Lip glosses
- Candles
- Decorative accessories
Prices for the collection will range from $1.95 to $99.95, ensuring accessibility for every budget. The highly anticipated collection will be available in stores and online starting Sunday, February 16. However, members of Bath & Body Works’ rewards program will get early access through the retailer’s website and app on February 11 and 12.
Bringing Princesses to Life Through Scent
Designers at Bath & Body Works handpicked a princess and immersed themselves in her story, carefully curating scents that encapsulate her spirit. Schumacher expressed admiration for the team’s creative dedication: “It came to life because the designers were able to get into the world of the princesses and truly bring their essence to our products.”
Here’s a closer look at the featured princesses and their signature fragrances:
- Tiana: Inspired by her ambition and perseverance, Tiana’s fragrance features delicate water lily, gilded amber, and shimmering bayou woods.
- Moana: Representing her fearless and adventurous nature, Moana’s scent includes lush green palms, plumeria breeze, and coconut water.
- Jasmine: Embodying her independence and free spirit, Jasmine’s fragrance combines sparkling jasmine flower, jeweled currants, and soft woods with a touch of oud.
- Cinderella: Capturing her optimism and elegance, Cinderella’s scent blends gardenia petals, enchanting musk, and sapphire blue amber.
- Belle: Inspired by her love of knowledge and inner beauty, Belle’s fragrance includes rose petals, sparkling buttercup, and whipped vanilla.
- Ariel: Reflecting her courage and determination, Ariel’s scent features sea salt breeze, golden citrus, and coral waters.
A Future of Enchantment?
With such a dazzling lineup, fans may be wondering if more Disney princesses will join the collection in the future. While nothing is confirmed yet, Shortreed hinted at the possibility of expansion. “We’re obviously hopeful that consumers respond well to it,” she said. “It’s our intent to continue our relationship with Bath & Body Works, so you’ll have to watch this space to see what comes next.”
This collaboration isn’t just about fragrances—it’s about bringing a touch of Disney magic to everyday life. Whether you resonate with the resilience of Ariel, the wisdom of Belle, or the adventurous spirit of Moana, there’s a scent in this collection for every princess at heart.
Where and When to Shop
Mark your calendars! The Disney Princess x Bath & Body Works collection launches on February 16, available both in stores and online. If you’re a Bath & Body Works rewards member, you’ll have the chance to shop early on February 11 and 12 through the retailer’s website and mobile app.
Whether you’re a lifelong Disney fan, a fragrance enthusiast, or simply someone who enjoys a little extra magic in your beauty routine, this collection is set to be a must-have. Get ready to embrace the essence of your favorite Disney princess and step into a world of fantasy and fragrance!
Blog
Nicholas Galitzine Joins Emporio Armani as Fragrance Icon
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Emporio Armani has acquainted a new face with its worldwide scent crusade, introducing another time of tastefulness and present day manliness. English entertainer Nicholas Galitzine has been named the worldwide scent diplomat for Emporio Armani, a move that consistently mixes his enamoring on-screen presence with the brand’s tradition of immortal refinement. This declaration matches with the send off of the refreshed More grounded With You Parfum assortment, a scent that exemplifies a refined at this point contemporary allure.
A Rising Star in Hollywood and Style
Nicholas Galitzine has been consistently transforming media outlets with champion exhibitions in movies like Purple Hearts, Red, White and Regal Blue, The Possibility of You, and the hit parody Bottoms. His capacity to carry profundity and genuineness to his characters has enraptured crowds around the world, procuring him a standing as one of the most encouraging entertainers of his age. Presently, his evident appeal and easy style stand out of one of the world’s most esteemed design houses, Emporio Armani.
Armani Magnificence communicated their excitement over the cooperation, expressing, “We are excited to invite Nicholas Galitzine as our new worldwide scent representative. His regular appeal and easy style exemplify the actual quintessence of the Emporio Armani brand.” This organization is supposed to carry a new viewpoint to the scent crusade, reclassifying extravagance for another age of scent lovers.
The Ideal Pair: Galitzine and Emporio Armani
Nicholas Galitzine’s relationship with Emporio Armani appears to be practically predetermined. His ready yet contemporary tasteful adjusts flawlessly with the brand’s character, making him an ideal minister for its aroma line. Whether gracing honorary pathway in customized Armani suits or radiating trust in relaxed environments, Galitzine typifies a feeling of present day manliness that resounds with Emporio Armani’s qualities.
This cooperation likewise flags Emporio Armani’s obligation to mixing exemplary refinement with energetic energy. With Galitzine at the front, the scent crusade is set to engage a different crowd, catching the consideration of both long-term Armani enthusiasts and a more youthful segment anxious to embrace the brand’s particular class.
The Reevaluation of More grounded With You Parfum
The planning of this coordinated effort couldn’t be more great, as Emporio Armani divulges its reconsidered More grounded With You Parfum assortment. Known for its warm, sexy, and profoundly dazzling aroma, More grounded With You has been a #1 among scent devotees since its underlying send off. The refreshed rendition presents a more extravagant, more refined mix that upgrades the scent’s unique notes while keeping up with its unique appeal.
With Galitzine driving the mission, the aroma is supposed to have a considerably more prominent effect. His capacity to easily progress among complexity and receptiveness reflects the substance of More grounded With You — a fragrance that oozes certainty, enthusiasm, and immortal charm.
Another Period of Aroma Promoting
Industry specialists guess that Nicholas Galitzine’s contribution in Emporio Armani’s scent mission will bring a new, unique energy to the brand’s promoting systems. Customarily, extravagance aroma crusades have depended on laid out figures from the style and entertainment worlds. Notwithstanding, Galitzine addresses a shift towards a more contemporary, interesting methodology — one that underscores independence and legitimacy.
His excursion from rising entertainer to worldwide design diplomat mirrors the developing scene of extravagance marking, where character and narrating are just about as fundamental as style. By picking Galitzine, Emporio Armani is embracing another time in which scent isn’t simply an extravagance thing however an expansion of one’s character and individual story.
The Eventual fate of the Association
As Nicholas Galitzine sets out on this new section with Emporio Armani, fans and design aficionados the same are anxious to perceive how this coordinated effort unfurls. The mission, which will carry out internationally, is supposed to highlight a progression of outwardly shocking promotions, computerized content, and restrictive in the background looks into Galitzine’s insight as an Armani representative.
Additionally, his presence in the mission could prepare for additional joint efforts with the brand, possibly stretching out past aromas to different parts of Armani’s style and way of life realm. Given Galitzine’s developing impact in both Hollywood and the design world, this organization is ready to be a vital turning point in his profession.
Determination: A Match Made in Extravagance
Nicholas Galitzine’s arrangement as Emporio Armani‘s worldwide scent envoy is something beyond a business move — it’s a festival of style, charm, and present day manliness. With his irrefutable ability and attractive presence, he is set to hoist the More grounded With You Parfum assortment and cement his position in the realm of high style.
As the mission unfurls, one thing is sure: this joint effort is an ideal mix of immortal tastefulness and contemporary appeal, denoting the start of an interesting new section for both Nicholas Galitzine and Emporio Armani. Fans can anticipate a vivid scent experience that catches the pith of extravagance as well as reclassifies it for another age.
Blog
Hunter Schafer’s Beauty Inspiration The Virgin Suicides & Effortless Glam
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Tracker Schafer is known for her courageous way to deal with design, continually pushing limits with high-risk, high-reward looks. Working intimately with beautician Dara Allen, she has developed an unmistakable stylish that consistently mixes cutting edge design with classic motivated pieces. Notwithstanding, her joint effort with beautician Jillian Halouska really rejuvenates her magnificence vision. Schafer’s consistently developing hair minutes are rich with references, drawing motivation from social symbols and artistic works of art.
At Paris Couture Week, where dream and gentility became the overwhelming focus, Schafer showed up at Ludovic de Holy person Sernin’s visitor assortment for Jean Paul Gaultier. She completely embraced the show’s ethereal and insubordinate subjects, wearing a plunging white ribbon peplum top matched with trimmed erupted jeans and dark pattern heels. Her hair was a pivotal piece of the troupe, radiating an easily scattered, somewhat turbulent charm.
As per Halouska, Schafer’s hairdo was a blend of two notorious motivations: the unique, brave energy of a privateer (suggestive of Keira Knightley’s personality in Privateers of the Caribbean) and the grit mixed, nonchalant tasteful of Kate Greenery during her party-young lady time. The outcome was a disheveled, incompletely ideal outpouring of waves that felt both hot and casual.
Creating the “Flawed but still great” Hairdo
To accomplish this look, Halouska utilized a munititions stockpile of styling items, including Oribe Gold Desire Sustaining Hair Oil for sparkle, Endlessly blunder Sumo Fluid Wax Splash for surface, and various hair curlers to make different wave designs.
She twisted irregular segments of Schafer’s hair with various estimated irons, then, at that point, roughened the waves utilizing the cool setting on a blow dryer to give a normally windblown impact. A few strands were left straighter, while others were scrunched to make a complex surface. A liberal utilization of hair oil gave the style a lived-in quality, while the splash wax at the roots permitted the hair to flip easily aside. At last, Halouska cut a couple of face-outlining parts of wrap over Schafer’s eye, adding a demeanor of secret and free enterprise class.
“It’s a tribute to defect,” Halouska made sense of. “It’s attractive, easy, and appears as though she’s simply ventured off the dance floor following an inconceivable evening out on the town.”
An Eccentric Look Enlivened by The Virgin Suicides
Schafer kept on trying different things with her excellence stylish sometime thereafter at an advantage for Helps noble cause Sidaction. She diverted an ethereal, nearly pixie like style in an off-the-shoulder cream Jean Paul Gaultier dress, which she matched with an organized dark calfskin coat for a striking difference.
For this look, her hair was styled in lengthy, streaming waves with fragile miniature plaits outlining her face. Halouska took motivation from Sofia Coppola’s famous film The Virgin Suicides, which has for some time been a most loved reference in the style world for its marvelous, nostalgic stylish.
To accomplish this delicate, heartfelt look, Halouska applied Shu Uemura Grease to add sparkle and utilized Sisley Hairspray to structure the interlaces while keeping a characteristic vibe. Endlessly blunder Stylist’s Imperceptible Oil Lightweight Sparkle Completing Splash was then clouded over the hair to upgrade its non-abrasiveness and development.
The Specialty of the Ideal Miniature Plait
Miniature plaits, however apparently easy, require accuracy. Halouska shared a few fundamental ways to accomplish Schafer’s fragile face-outlining meshes.
Clean Splitting: Utilize a fine-tooth look over to make a perfect segment for the interlaces.
Secure Strands: Use barrettes to keep the remainder of the hair far removed while twisting.
Use Styling Glue: Applying a modest quantity of grease or styling glue to fingertips prior to twisting guarantees a smooth completion and forestalls flyaways.
Anchor the Plait: Begin the twist at the hairline, taking care of in just top segments for a complimenting, face-outlining impact.
Secure It: Proceed with the twist until the scruff of the neck and secure it prudently with a pin for a consistent mix.
By following these means, Halouska guaranteed that Schafer’s miniature interlaces remained in one piece without looking excessively solid or over-styled. The outcome was an impeccably adjusted look — fragile, idyllic, and inconspicuously fun loving.
Tracker Schafer’s Consistently Advancing Magnificence Tasteful
Schafer’s capacity to sway between various magnificence personas makes her such an astonishing style symbol. From the alarm like disheveled waves at Paris Couture Week to the unconventional, practically powerful miniature plaits at the Sidaction benefit, her looks generally recount a story.
Halouska summarized it impeccably: “Her hair has its very own character — it’s lively, alluring, and nostalgic, yet still feels extraordinarily present day.”
The previous spring at the Cannes Film Celebration, Schafer shocked in a milkmaid-motivated white cut skirt dress, finished off with a beguiling Prada headscarf. Whether she’s directing a 90s It-young lady, a realistic ingénue, or a defiant privateer, her magnificence decisions remain refreshingly startling and easily cool.
With Schafer’s daring way to deal with style, one can ponder — what film, period, or social reference will rouse her next groundbreaking excellence second?
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