A Covid strain that is spreading rapidly in the United States is the “closest transmissible subvariant discovered so far,” the World Health Organization said.
But XBB.1.5 appears to be just as mild as its ancestor Omicron strains, with outbreaks in Northeastern America yet to see an increase in hospital admissions.
The new subvariant — another Omicron twist — accounts for about 70 percent of new infections in the hardest-hit parts of the U.S. and four in 10 nationwide.
It has spread rapidly in recent weeks, accounting for just four percent of US cases in early December, suggesting it has a major growth advantage over competing strains.
A highly contagious strain of Covid has emerged and is already behind three out of four cases in some parts of the US, surveillance data shows
COVID CASES IN THE US: Covid infections have increased across the country in recent weeks, with around 400,000 weekly cases compared to 300,000 a month ago
US COVID DEATHS: The number of deaths has leveled off since the summer, a trend attributed to high levels of popular immunity
US COVID HOSPITALIZATIONS: Hospitalizations for people with Covid have also increased in recent weeks – but paled in comparison to last year. In the US, there have been an average of about 6,500 admissions for the virus in the past week, about twice as many as in early November
DR Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical director for Covid, told a news conference on Wednesday: “We are concerned about the potential for growth, especially in some countries in Europe and in the US … especially in the Northeastern United States, where XBB .1.5 quickly replaced other circulating variants.
“Our concern is how transmissible it is … and the more this virus circulates, the more likely it is to change.”
Why there is NO reason to panic about the new Covid variant XBB. 1.5
Concerns about a new wave of Covid are growing, but experts say there is no need to panic.
XBB.1.5 acquired 14 new mutations in the virus’ peak proteins compared to its ancestral strains, which appeared to give it enhanced antibody resistance.
This means that people who have been vaccinated or who have had a previous infection are more susceptible to an infection – although it is not necessarily a serious illness.
Antibodies are only part of the overall immune response to Covid, while other virus-fighting agents such as T-cells play a crucial role.
What seems to scare the WHO, however, is the prospect that XBB.1.5 could be the gateway to a spookier variant.
The more infections occur, the greater the chance that the virus will mutate and evolve.
Nationally, Covid infections have increased in recent weeks, with around 400,000 weekly cases compared to 300,000 a month ago.
This could be due to the increased mixing during the holidays as well as the new and contagious variant.
But the numbers are still far below what they were at this time last year, at the height of the Omicron wave, when there were 4 million cases a week.
Hospital admissions for people with Covid have also increased in recent weeks – but pale in comparison to the previous year.
In the past week, there have been an average of about 6,500 admissions for the virus in the US, about twice as many as in early November.
Around this time last year, more than 20,000 Americans were hospitalized with the virus.
This comes after America became the first country to officially reach the milestone of 100 million Covid infections – which is probably a huge underestimate.
But the raw number of cases does not take into account the population size. When you take that into account, the US only ranks 58th worldwide
The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that cumulative US cases as of December 21 were in the nine digits. According to research database OurWorldInData, India has the second highest number of infections at just 44 million, followed by France with 39 million
The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that cumulative US cases as of December 21 were in the nine digits.
India has the second highest number of infections at just 44 million, followed by France at 39 million, according to research database OurWorldInData.
But the raw number of cases does not take into account the population size. When you take that into account, the US only ranks 58th worldwide.
It is difficult to compare Covid cases between countries due to different approaches to testing and data collection.
China alone has conducted more tests than the US – about 9 billion and 900 million respectively.
But Beijing and places like Russia have been accused of withholding case numbers to cover up authoritarian regimes’ efforts to contain outbreaks.
Up to 250 million people were affected by Covid in China in the first 20 days of December after the country suddenly reversed its controversial zero-Covid policy.
DR John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, said reaching 100 million cases in the US was an important moment.
But he added that this was likely a serious undercount, as many Americans do not test or are asymptomatic.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
