The XBB.1.5 subvariant of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been causing alarm among health experts in the US. According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this new strain is responsible for 40.5% of confirmed cases in the US for the week ending on Dec. 31, up from 20% the week before. In the Northeast alone, the XBB.1.5 variant is responsible for about 75% of confirmed cases. Dr. Barbara Mahon, director of the CDC's proposed Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, told CBS News that the CDC did not list the XBB.1.5 lineage in earlier projections because it did not meet a minimum threshold set by the agency.
The XBB.1.5 variant differs from the XBB variant because it can attach itself better to cells, according to CNBC. Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, told Reuters that the XBB.1.5 variant is the “worst variant that the world is facing right now.” Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University, told CNBC that the variant “could help the virus be a little bit more efficient at infecting people.”
At this time, the origin of the XBB.1.5 variant is still uncertain, and it remains to be seen how far and how fast it will spread. John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, predicted that cases will peak in mid-January. The CDC has reported that there do not appear to be any additional COVID-19 symptoms tied to XBB.1.5 that are different than normal symptoms. However, the XBB.1.5 variant has mutations that could allow the virus to evade COVID-19 vaccine boosters and cause more breakthrough infections.
In light of the spread of the XBB.1.5 variant, the CDC is urging people to take precautions such as wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding large gatherings and washing hands frequently. It is important to follow these guidelines in order to protect yourself and those around you.