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A new subvariant of the new coronavirus, XBB.1.5, has caused concern around the world: it is spreading rapidly in the United States and other places, triggering a new wave of infections. Recently, with the outbreak of the epidemic in China, the public has also begun to fear that this variant could accelerate the spread and even lead to secondary infections.
Scientists stated that XBB.1.5 has immune escape. As with other variants of homekeronia, the more the virus spreads, the more chance it has of mutating. The World Health Organization says XBB.1.5 has now been detected in 29 countries.
The World Health Organization is still urging China to share more data. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said the possibility of a large-scale outbreak of Omicron XBB subvariant in China in the near term is low. At present, Omicron BA.5 two sub-strains BA.5.2 and BF.7 are the two main strains in China.
The following questions allow you to learn more about this subvariant.
What is XBB.1.5? What are the symptoms?
It is another offshoot of the globally dominant new coronavirus variant, Omicron, which evolved from earlier alpha, beta, gamma and delta variants.
Since its emergence in late 2021, the Omicron variant has spread more than all previous versions of the coronavirus and has produced many subvariants that are even more contagious than the parent variant.
The symptoms of XBB.1.5 infection are thought to be similar to those of Omicron before it, but it is too early to fully confirm this. Most people have cold-like symptoms.
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More than 40% of current new crown cases in the United States are estimated to be caused by XBB.1.5.
Is XBB.1.5 more infectious than previous variants?
XBB.1.5 itself evolved from XBB, which was first detected in India in August 2022 but has not yet been classified as a “variant of concern” by health authorities.
XBB has mutations that allow it to defeat the body’s immune defenses, but also reduce its ability to infect human cells.
Professor Wendy Barclay of Imperial College London said XBB.1.5 had a mutation called F486P that restored the ability to bind to cells while still evading immunity. This makes it easier to spread.
Those evolutions have acted as “stepping stones,” he said, allowing the virus to evolve and find new ways to bypass the body’s defense mechanisms.
Scientists from the World Health Organization confirmed on Wednesday that XBB.1.5 has a “growth advantage” over all subvariants discovered so far.
But they said there was no indication it was any more serious or harmful than the previous variant of Omicron.
The World Health Organization said it will closely monitor laboratory studies, hospital data and infection rates to understand the impact on patients.
Where is XBB.1.5 spreading?
More than 40% of current COVID-19 cases in the United States are estimated to be caused by XBB.1.5, making it the dominant strain in the United States.
As of early December, it accounted for just 4 percent of cases, quickly outpacing other Omicron releases.
Hospital admissions for COVID-19 have increased in the United States in recent weeks.
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Are Scientists Concerned About XBB.1.5?
Professor Buckley said she wasn’t particularly concerned about the vaccinated population.
But she is concerned about the impact on vulnerable groups, including the immunocompromised, who would benefit less from COVID-19 vaccinations.
Professor Hunt said he saw no evidence that XBB.1.5 was more virulent, meaning it was no more likely to ‘harvest or kill people’ than the existing Omicron variant.
He also said, “The irony is that all eyes are on possible variants in China, but XBB.1.5 comes from the United States.”
Professor David Heymann of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine admits there is still a lot to learn about the latter variant.
But he said it was unlikely to cause major problems in countries with high vaccination rates and a history of infection.
He is concerned about countries like China, which have low vaccination rates and low natural immunity due to prolonged lockdowns.
“China needs to share clinical information on infected people to understand how this variant manifests itself in non-immune populations,” said Prof. Hyman.
