January 9, 2023 – Omicron’s latest sub-variant, XBB.1.5, is so contagious that anyone is liable to becoming infected, even in the event that they are already infected and fully vaccinated, a health expert said USA today.
“It's incredibly contagious,” said Dr. Paula Cannon, a virologist on the University of Southern California. “All the things that have protected us over the last few years, I don't think, are going to protect us from this new generation of variants.”
XBB.1.5 is spreading rapidly within the United States. Last week it was answerable for 27.6% of cases within the country, in comparison with about 1% in December, in line with the US Centers for Disease Control and PreventionThe disease is especially common within the northeast, where it now accounts for over 70% of all cases.
It can also be spreading worldwide. Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD., chief technology officer on the World Health Organization, called XBB.1.5 “the most contagious subvariant discovered to date.”
Ashish Jha, MD, the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, tweeted a couple of days ago that the spread of XBB.1.5 was “breathtaking,” but cautioned that it was unclear whether the symptoms of the infection could be more severe than with previous variants.
“Whether we will have an XBB.1.5 wave (and if so, how big) will depend on many factors, including population immunity, people's actions, etc.,” he tweeted.
He urged people to maintain their booster shots up so far, wear a tight-fitting mask and avoid crowded indoor spaces, noting that individuals who haven't been recently infected or haven't received the bivalent booster shot likely have little protection against infection.
Symptoms for XBB.1.5 seem like similar to other variants of COVID-19, even though it is less common for people infected with XBB.1.5 to lose their sense of taste and smell, USA Today reported.