The “most transmissible sub variant known yet,” Omicron variant XBB.1.5, is spreading swiftly across dozens of nations, worrying scientists. From 2% in the first week of December, XBB.1.5 accounts for over 40% of US COVID-19 cases. US’s second-most common strain. XBB.1.5, a descendant of the Omicron XBB sub variant, is spreading across Europe, according to the WHO (WHO). BA.5.2 and BF.7 Omicron strains caused China’s COVID-19 pandemic. Beijing reports 60,000 monthly fatalities.
COVID XBB.1.5?
COVID-19 coronavirus Omicron’s most contagious subtype is XBB.1.5. Omicron sparked global pandemics early last year. Kraken—XBB.1.5—is a sub lineage of XBB that mixes two BA.2 strains. October 2022 saw US detection. 38 countries have XBB.1.5, including Canada, Australia, Kuwait, Germany, and France.
XBB.1.5—contagious?
On January 4, WHO COVID-19 technical chief Maria Van Kerkhove named XBB.1.5 the “most transmissible sub variant found yet”. “The modifications in this sub variant of Omicron allow this virus to attach to the cell and replicate easily,” she added. Three years ago, SARS-CoV-2 mutated. The coronavirus has changed its genetic code, making it challenging to regulate. Mutations help the virus dodge immune systems and vaccines. Kraken beats XBB at binding to the ACE2 receptor in cells, which distributes COVID-19. Like earlier Omicron strains, the sub variant features congestion, runny nose, and fever.
XBB.1.5 exacerbate disease?
The WHO has not connected Kraken to serious illness. The UN agency produced an internal risk assessment on January 11 indicating that XBB.1.5 did not “tain any mutation known to be related with a prospective change in severity”. Severity assessments proceeded. Ryan Gregory of the University of Guelph in Canada told Al Jazeera that “multiple variants spreading in the same place” make it impossible to discern which is worse. BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 [Omicron sub variants] are still circulating in the northeastern US, where XBB.1.5 is most common. The evolutionary biology professor said it won’t be worse or cause a tsunami like the first Omicron last winter. The first Omicron wave was the deadliest year of the pandemic in Canada, although being less virulent than Delta. Gregory noted recent changes. “A full ‘variant soup’ rather than one variation coming to supremacy and then being replaced by a single subsequent variant seems like it will imply a bigger sea level with high and low tide instead of a sequence of tsunamis,” he added.
Vaccines—effective?
Kraken is immune-evasive like its progenitor XBB. According to reporters the bivalent vaccine, which comprises the original virus and the Omicron form, “excellently protects” against severe acute illness, including XBB strains. They reduce hospitalizations but don’t stop transmission, he said. Many regions have low booster rates. NYC Health + Hospitals executive director of the System-wide Special Pathogens Program Syra Madad advocated “layering on protection, as no one layer is 100%” in addition to immunizations. She told reporters that this requires wearing a high-quality mask in crowded or poorly ventilated spaces. “After three years of this epidemic, we can safely say masks have worked and are an effective instrument to decrease one’s COVID-19 infection.”
