COVID-19 will last until 2023 New XBB variant It was recently found to be the dominant strain in New England, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Omicron subspecies XBB accounted for approximately 52.6% of all cases in New England between December 18th and December 24th. According to the CDCXBB accounts for 18.3% of cases nationwide.
Here is a breakdown of what is currently known about XBB and what has yet to be studied.
How contagious is XBB?
The spread of XBB has been shown by health experts as a sign of increased infection rates.
“It’s a great way to treat cancer,” said Ross Keddle, an immunologist and vaccine expert at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. UC Health XBB and other new strains are “roaring following measles, which is a very remarkable level of infection.”
Dr. Jeremy Luban, Professor of Molecular Medicine, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biotechnology at UMass Chan Medical School, made this point: Boston Grove. XBB is “like blowing out other[subspecies]in a very short period of time,” he said.
How serious is it to contract the XBB variant of COVID?
of world health organizationSARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution Technical Advisory Group in October provided initial findings on variants of current concern, including XBB. Early evidence suggested an increased risk of reinfection compared with other circulating Omicron subvariants.
“Although more research is needed, the current data do not suggest substantial differences in the severity of XBB infections,” the advisory group said in a statement.
However, COVID-19 infection remains most serious among unvaccinated, immunocompromised, or both.Cassandra Pierre, Public Health Program Director, Boston Medical Center told GBH There are no data to suggest that XBB can evade antiviral drugs such as paxlobid and remdemcivir.
This is in contrast to monoclonal antibodies, according to. New England Journal of Medicinedata. XBB “has additional substitutions in the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein, a prime target for coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies,” the journal said, adding that the new variant is a “new therapeutic.” It reinforces the need for monoclonal antibodies for clinical trials,” he added. for COVID-19.
How to stay protected
As with previous strains of COVID-19, protection begins with vaccination. Since XBB is a subspecies of the Omicron strain, health experts such as the New England Journal of Medicine suggest: Receive Omicron’s divalent booster shot Remain protected from XBB and other Omicron subvariants such as BA.2.75.2 and BQ.1.1
However, vaccines do not provide complete immunity from disease. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House Chief Medical Advisor, said: reporter in november Booster has the highest security against XBB, but will take a hit from new variants.
“Protection is many times less with XBB…” Fauci told reporters. “It’s even worse with XBB. It doesn’t fall off the map, but it does go down. So you can expect some protection, but it’s not the best protection.”
Fauci also reiterated that people should limit indoor capacity during the holidays, be tested and wear masks before attending gatherings.
Should I wear a mask?
Wearing a KN95 or N95 mask remains the best external protection against airborne viruses like COVID-19. CDC.
How “new” is XBB?
Scientists first identified XBB in the United States on September 15th. told Fortune in October.
Where was XBB detected?
XBB has been found in 35 countries including India, United Kingdom, Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, Singapore and Canada. The time of day November 7th. The number of updated countries has not yet been reported.
In the United States, XBB accounts for more than half of COVID-19 cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, according to the CDC. In states between Pennsylvania and Virginia, XBB accounts for approximately 20% of cases.
The southeastern United States has nearly 13% of cases. Around the Great Lakes and east of the Mississippi River, including Alaska and Hawaii, XBB accounts for 4-9% of cases.
What does “XBB” stand for?
XBB is a recombinant of two BA.2 substrains derived from Omicron variants, CDC said. If XBB is a subspecies completely unrelated to his Omicron, it is given an appropriate Greek letter designation, similar to previous subspecies such as Delta.
T. Ryan Gregory, professor of integrative biology at the University of Guelph, Canada, said: said time Names containing letters and numbers are important for scientists to know because they convey information about how COVID-19 evolved.
