There is a possibility that the new more transmissible coronavirus subvariant Omicrom XBB.1.5 may be more likely to infect people who have been vaccinated against the virus, the New York City health officials recently warned.
"Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 now accounts for 73% of all sequenced Covid-19 cases in NYC. XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible form of Covid-19 that we know of to date and may be more likely to infect people who have been vaccinated or already had Covid-19," the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene took to Twitter to say.
However, it has still urged people to get vaccinated, stating that it continues to be the best measure to protect against severe infection.
"Getting vaccinated and getting the updated booster is still the best way to protect yourself from hospitalization and death from Covid-19, including from these new variants," it wrote.
XBB.1.5 cases in India
The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) informed earlier this week that India has so far reported 26 cases of the Omicron XBB.1.5 variant. The cases have been found in 11 states and Union territories till now, including Delhi, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
Symptoms of XBB.1.5
No evidence of any new symptoms related to the variant has emerged so far. Patients suffering with it are experiencing symptoms seen earlier as well, like runny nose, sore throat and headaches.
Experts have been quoted as saying that the new variant is likely to cause general flu-like symptoms, like feeling very sick due to the high fevers.
XBB.1.5 is currently the most transmissible variant in the country. The World Health Organization said earlier this week that XBB.1.5 may spur more Covid-19 cases based on genetic characteristics and early growth rate estimates.
It is estimated to account for 43% of the Covid-19 cases in the US for the week ending January 14, according to data released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Another two dominant Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 accounted for about 45% of new Covid-19 cases in the US in the latest week.
Covid situation in India
In the last 24 hours, the country has reported 145 new Covid-19 cases, data released by the Union health ministry showed. There are currently 1,946 active cases across the country, while the number of total cured persons has reached 4,41,48,976.
