A new variant of COVID-19 called XEC is spreading rapidly in Europe and other parts of the world, just after a summer with an increased number of COVID cases across the U.S.According to TODAY.com, experts project that XEC could be on track to become the dominant strain in the country this fall.So has it been detected in California yet?The short answer is yes. However, it hasn't set off any alarm bells for the California Department of Public Health.CDPH officials said there have been a small number of COVID-19 XEC sequences detected in the state since mid-August.In fact, the department has not yet added the XEC variant to the chart it uses to track COVID variants. CDPH also noted that in general levels of COVID-19 are decreasing. "While COVID-19 levels had increased over the summer to levels comparable to last summer, they are now decreasing as seen in both decreasing SARS-CoV-2 test positivity and detections in wastewater," officials told KCRA 3 in a statement.Additionally, the updated 2024-25 vaccines are expected to protect against XEC, as well as other variants expected to circulate over the fall and winter. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter