Many new infections in the USA
XBB.1.5 is a subvariant of Omicron. So far, it has been detected in 29 countries, including Europe. There are no confirmed cases in Germany yet. “The X initially shows that this is a so-called recombination, i.e. two variants have exchanged genes,” explains the Munich virologist Alexander Kekulé. Apparently, XBB.1.5 is spreading. therefore they expire faster than other variants, especially in countries with low vaccination rates, such as the United States. About half of new infections in some US states are currently due to XBB.1.5.
No severe courses so far
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is the “most contagious subvariant discovered to date”. So far, however, there are no signs that XBB.1.5 causes more serious disease than other variants of the virus. Precursors of the current XBB variant could also infect people who were already infected with Corona.
Expert: viruses mutate, completely normal
Virologist Alexander Kekulé still does not find the new variant of the virus worrying. “This is not a concern for me and is actually a normal process for viruses to mutate,” he explained in the MDR podcast “Kekulés Corona-Kompass”. When XBB.1.5 arrives in Germany, new infections are likely, even among vaccinated people, but high mortality rates and hospital admissions are not.
