The Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible of the Covid-19 subvariants to emerge so far. theSun theSundaily disease health virus Covid19 Omicron
: The Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible of the Covid-19 subvariants to emerge so far and has been spreading quickly across the United States.The subvariant was first detected in the United States in October, and now represents more than 27 percent of the country's infections, according to the CDC's variant tracker.
The subvariant is very similar to its predecessor XBB.1 but has an additional mutation to its spike protein -- the key that allows the virus into the body's cells -- said Grace Roberts, a virologist at Leeds University in Britain.Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on Covid, said this week that XBB.1.5 was the most transmissible form of Covid and clearly has a “growth advantage” over other forms of the virus.
The WHO is still assessing data on the subject but said XBB.1.5 did not carry any mutations that were known to increase severity.Omicron's XBB variants, alongside BQ.1, are the most resistant to antibodies built up from vaccination and previous infections, according to the WHO. Roberts pointed to a recent preprint study, which has not been peer-reviewed, that suggests XBB.1.5 has a similar antibody resistance to XBB.1 but is more transmissible.
That is because “the spike protein of the BA.5 bivalent more closely resembles XBB.1.5 than the Wuhan ancestral spike,“ Topol wrote on Substack this week.“I don’t think we need to take any drastic action at present,“ she said, adding that it remained important for countries to monitor the subvariant’s progress.
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