COVID-19 sub-variant XEC arrives in New Zealand

The highly transmissable Covid-19 sub-variant, XEC has arrived in New Zealand, with one epidemologist concerned people will die if there's an outbreak of the new strain. This strain is a mix of two previous Omicron subvariants. A recombinant variant is created when a person is infected with two strains of a virus that then reproduce, resulting in a different strain. ESR has detected a number of cases of the new strain in clinical samples. Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said a clear strategy is needed to reduce the impact of XEC. It's been reported in about 30 other countries, including Australia, infectious disease expert, Professor Paul Griffin from the University of Queensland spoke to Lisa Owen.