The variant is currently surging across the US and has been spotted in the UK.
’s technical lead for Covid Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove expressed her concern about the growth of the new variant.
Speaking at a press conference, she said:"We are concerned about its growth advantage in particular in some countries in Europe and in the US... particularly the Northeast part of the United States, where XBB.1.5 has rapidly replaced other circulating variants. "Our concern is how transmissible it is… and the more this virus circulates, the more opportunities it will have to change.”Professor Lawrence Young from Warwick University told theHe said: “The XBB.1.5 variant is highly infectious and is driving increased hospital admissions in New York, particularly among the elderly.
“This is a wake-up call - a sharp reminder that we can't be complacent about Covid. The threat of XBB.1.5 and other Covid variants further exacerbates the currentHe added: “We need to continue to monitor levels of infection with different variants in the UK, encourage those who are eligible to get their boosters shots - why not extend this to the under 50s - and promote the value of other mitigation measures.
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