Health officials say they are tracking several new SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating across the country, including the XBB.1.16 substrain.the strain is dubbed by some scientists As “Arcturus” on social media, Frustration of some health authorities.
Scientists say XBB.1.16 is relatively similar to previous strains that have recently dominated the United States. XBB.1.5 variant It’s the one that caused the last wave of infections this fall and winter, and it doesn’t seem to make symptoms worse or cause different symptoms compared to other subspecies.
“We have not observed a dramatic shift in spikes since the shift from Delta to Omicron,” Dr. Natalie Thornberg of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at the vaccine conference on April 27. meeting Sponsored by FDA.
According to Thornburg, XBB.1.16 has only a handful of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein compared to its more recent predecessor, allowing the original Omicron strain to overtake other variants early in the pandemic. less than the change of 20 or more seen when
XBB.1.16 may outmaneuver another variant called XBB.1.9, which accounts for 12.7% of viruses circulating in the United States overall. Federal Officials Think One Vaccine recipe could potentially boost against them all this fall.
“We continue to see a gradual increase in spike protein substitutions over time, which we would describe as a slower drift,” Thornburg said.
Here is the latest information we know about XBB.1.16.
How many people have been infected with this COVID variant?
every week projection According to estimates released by the CDC on April 28, XBB.1.16 made up 11.7% of the viruses circulating nationwide.there were 88,000+ reported cases However, CDC officials say cases are significantly underestimated due to home testing and states not reporting data on a regular basis.
At the regional level, XBB.1.16 has risen to more than 1 in 10 infections in several parts of the country. The region spanning Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas has the highest rate of cases, estimated at 15.6%.
CDC testing among international airport travelers program XBB.1.16 was detected in approximately one-fifth of the pooled positive samples from flights arriving by early April.
Globally, India, which has seen a wave of new infections in recent months, reported the largest share of XBB.1.16 sequences in the global virus database. Stocks have dominated there since February.
Is this COVID strain causing “pink eye” or other different symptoms?
Health officials around the world, including the World Health Organization, have downplayed claims that XBB.1.16 causes new or worse symptoms compared to other Omicron variants that have caused previous waves.
In India, where XBB.1.16 surged, WHO reported April 17th Hospitalizations and other measures of disease severity were not worse compared with other circulating variants.
Some people point to “pink eyes” – also known as conjunctivitis – As a potential new symptom caused by XBB.1.16. but, Press conference On April 18, WHO officials described it as “a known symptom that is already part of COVID.”
doctor is report Conjunctivitis may appear as the only symptom of COVID-19 in patients. 2020 at the earliestIt may also appear before other, more typical symptoms.
WHO’s Dr Mike Ryan told reporters, “While we haven’t seen any major changes in the symptoms of this subspecies, we do see features associated with increased infectivity.”
Will this COVID strain cause a new wave?
The WHO describes the subspecies’ growth advantage as only “moderate” compared to other strains. Since it was first reported in early January, the variant has gradually increased worldwide.
“What we’re really seeing is a kind of putative growth advantage, some evidence of immune escape properties, so this variant could be more global and cause increased incidence.” There is a possibility
Preliminary analysis suggests there is “little difference” in the ability of vaccination antibodies to protect against XBB.1.16 compared to previous XBB strains, the UK reported. April 21stData from animal studies compared to previous XBB.1.5 variants explained It was found by WHO on April 17 to have an “equivalent” ability to avoid previous infections.
XBB.1.16 has been found at a site of a spike in infections in India, but the exact role of mutations in this variant driving the spike remains unknown.India sees simultaneous ‘very similar’ surge in 2021, Swiss variant tracker I got it It happened on April 27th, so it’s hard to tell if this is simply a ‘seasonal effect’.
For now, COVID-19 indicators continue their downward trend across the United States. hospitalization The virus is nearing some of the record lows seen in the spring of 2021 and 2022, before both years surged again in the summer.
“While we don’t have an exact seasonal pattern yet, we’ve seen spikes in late summer/early fall or mid-summer/early fall in recent years, then spikes again during the holidays,” Thornberg said. said.
