A sub-mutant of the Omicron strain is again raising concern in the healthcare community in the US and Britain, with the rate of cases rising in recent weeks, and officials and experts have called for the need to get vaccines, but there is no evidence indicating the possibility of a new health crisis.
The XBB.1.5 submutant is a modified version of the XBB variant, discovered in Singapore, India and more than 30 other countries in October.
The XBB variant is a combination of two previous Omicron strains, which led to a surge in infections earlier this year.
And US media have pointed to an increase in the rate of cases infected with the XBB.1.5 variant, which now accounts for about 41 percent of new cases in the United States, over the past week, according to the network. CNBC Citing data from the US Department of Health’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency estimates that the XBB.1.5 variant was responsible for 4 out of 10 confirmed cases in the United States for the week ending December 31. This represents a nearly 20 percent increase over the week ending Dec. 24.
That has raised concerns about more cases emerging nationwide, according to Axios website.
And in an interview with CBS“We expect the dominant variant to be found in the northeastern region of the country and spread to all regions of the country,” said Dr. Barbara Mahon, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
She points out British data It also indicates that it accounts for one in 25 cases in the UK, which could add pressure to the already overburdened NHS in winter.
CNBC states that XBB.1.5 is spreading rapidly in the United States because it has a greater ability to escape immunity and adhere to cells than other subvariants of the XBB family.
Variant XBB was first identified in India in August and quickly became the dominant subspecies, evolving into other subspecies XBB.1 and XBB.1.5.
Scientists and public health officials have been closely watching the XBB family for months because it carries several mutations that could make vaccines, including those boosted against Omicron, less effective.
Andrew Picos, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University, told CNBC that XBB.1.5 differs from the other two variants in the family because it has an additional mutation that makes it bind better to cells.
“The virus needs to bind tightly to cells to be more efficient at entry, and this may help the virus be more effective at infecting people,” Picos added.
Yunlong Richard Cao, a scientist and assistant professor at Peking University, posted data on Twitter indicating that XBB.1.5 not only evaded antibodies more than XBB, but is also better at binding to cells through the receptor.
The superior growth advantage of XBB.1.5 has been well documented by many colleagues @JPWeiland @LongDesertTrain @EricTopol. Here I will add some experimental data:
1) XBB.1.5 is equally immune evasive as XBB.1, but
2) XBB.1.5 has a much higher hACE2 binding affinity. 1/ pic.twitter.com/jsk7gcyfu4— Yunlong Richard Cao (@yunlong_cao) December 28, 2022
In a study published earlier this month in the journal Cell, Columbia University scientists warned that the emergence of subvariants such as the XBB family could “lead to a significant increase in infections and reinfection” and could “significantly harm more effective than the current vaccines.
Furthermore, variants of the XBB subfamily are also resistant to Evusheld, an antibody cocktail used by people with weakened immune systems to prevent infection with Covid.
The scientists described the resistance of the XBB subvariants to vaccine antibodies as ‘worrying’.
However, these warnings were accompanied by reassurances that there was no indication that XBB.1.5 would cause more severe symptoms than previous variants.
An infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, had warned before leaving office in the White House that subvariants of the XBB family reduce the immunity provided by additional doses.
“You can expect some protection, but not optimal protection,” Fauci told reporters during a news conference in November.
Picos said XBB.1.5, coupled with vacation travel, could cause an increase in cases in the United States, but said recalls appeared to prevent serious illness.
He stressed the need to get booster doses, especially for people most at risk, to provide continued protection against serious disease with these new variants.
Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, told Mail Online that the new mutant variant was a “wake-up call” and called for “encouraging those eligible for booster shots and broadening the circle of those who can receive them”.
Axois says there is no information on expectations for its rapid spread and the extent of its spread in the coming period, and it is unclear whether there are any specific symptoms associated with the new variant.
But John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, told Reuters he expects cases to peak in mid-January.
“In each of the previous two winters, we’ve seen a peak in mid-January…and I expect the same thing to happen this year,” Moore said. there was a significant increase in death rates.
CBS said the increased prevalence of XBB.1.5 comes as hospitalizations in the United States accelerated in recent weeks.
The pace of hospitalizations is now worse than last summer’s peak in many areas, but still lower than last winter’s.
“There is no indication at this point that XBB.1.5 is more serious,” said Mahon, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But I think it’s a really good time for people to do the things we’ve been saying for a long time, which is look for better ways to protect themselves,” like getting booster shots, better ventilation, and other preventative measures.
Concern about this subvariant has increased in recent weeks after it appeared in many Asian countries, while China is seeing a huge increase in the number of Omicron cases right now.
Countries including France, Britain, Italy and the United States have imposed checks on travelers from China, four weeks after Beijing rolled back its “zero Covid” policy, which included imposing closures and carrying out mass checks.
The wave of wounded swept hospitals and crematoria, especially among the elderly and sick, many of whom were not fully vaccinated.
However, the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that imposing mandatory COVID-19 checks on travelers from China was “unjustified” despite the increase in the number of infections in China.
