Omicron XBB.1.5 does not have mutations known to make people sicker, WHO says

The Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant does not have any mutations that are known to make people sick when exposed to the virus. World Health Organization Risk Assessment Published on Wednesday.

But the WHO said in the report that it has no real-world data on how XBB.1.5 is affecting patients’ health, so it cannot draw any conclusions about the severity of the subvariant at this time.

The WHO stated that XBB.1.5 is one of the Covid subvariants most efficient at evading immunity from vaccination or infection. It is immune evasive, just like another subvariant in its family, XBB.1, which was the Covid variant that best dodged antibodies that prevent infection.

The World Health Organization stated that XBB.1.5 has a growth advantage in the US, particularly in the Northeast where it has become increasingly dominant. XBB.1.5 could increase cases globally, but it’s hard to know for sure because according to the WHO, almost all data is coming from the US. The organization said it needed more data on how fast XBB.1.5 is spreading in other countries.

WHO’s Kovid-19 technical lead Maria van Kerkhove said last week that XBB.1.5 Most transmissible covid subvariant ever, Scientists believe it has an evolutionary advantage because it is highly immunosuppressive and binds more strongly to human cells, making it more infectious.

“This is by far the most commonly transmitted subvariant that has been detected,” Van Kerkhove told reporters during a news conference in Geneva last Wednesday. “This is because of the mutations that are within this subtype of omicron that allow this virus to adhere to the cell and replicate more easily.”

In the US, XBB.1.5 is the only subvariant showing substantial growth right now. That increased from about 2% of cases in early December to about 28% in the first week of January, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is accounting for more than 70% of new Covid cases in the Northeast.

Data is currently limited on how well vaccines against XBB.1.5 hold up, although the subvariant is expected to lead to more successful infections. Lab studies have indicated Other variants of the XBB family have proven adept at evading antibodies generated by immunization with the Omicron booster.

Although the Omicron subvariants have proven adept at causing breakthrough infections, Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines are still generally preventing hospitalizations and deaths. However, public health officials in the US have stressed that it is especially important for vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, to stay up to date on their shots to prevent serious illness.