http://www.newsweek.com/new-covid-variant-xe-omicron-recombinant-explained-ba-2-1695079

A hybrid COVID variant known as XE has sparked headlines over the past week, but experts have warned people not to get unduly concerned—and the variant isn't even particularly new.

XE is known as a recombinant, meaning it is essentially a mixture of two different viruses or variants with characteristics of both. Specifically, XE is a mixture of the two Omicron variant sub-types BA.1 and BA.2.