After assembly earlier this week to assessment Omicron developments, the World Well being Group (WHO) SARS-CoV-2 virus evolution advisory group held off on designating XBB and BQ.1 sublineages as variants of concern.
In an announcement yesterday, the group mentioned it can reassess the scenario often. The group’s announcement comes as BQ.1 proportions are quickly rising in Europe and the US.
Attainable reinfection threat, however no signal of severity enhance
The WHO advisory group mentioned XBB and BQ.1 do not at present diverge sufficiently from one another or from different Omicron lineages which have further immune escape mutations to warrant a variant of concern designation or a brand new label. “The 2 sublineages stay a part of Omicron, which continues to be a variant of concern,” the group mentioned.
Up to now, XBB—a recombinant of the BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants—has been detected in 35 international locations and has a 1.3% international prevalence. The group mentioned XBB hasn’t been constantly linked with a rise in new infections, however they added that early proof suggests a better reinfection threat, particularly to folks contaminated earlier than the Omicron variant started circulating. XBB’s potential to drive new an infection waves would possibly rely upon each the dimensions and timing of earlier Omicron waves and COVID-19 vaccine protection.
BQ.1 is a BA.5 subvariant, and BQ.1.1 has an extra spike mutation at a key antigenic web site. Between them, 65 international locations have detected the viruses, which have a 6% international prevalence.
The WHO group mentioned BQ.1 viruses have a development benefit over different Omicron lineages in lots of settings, together with Europe and the US, which requires shut monitoring and should pose a higher reinfection threat.
Up to now, there isn’t any proof of a rise in illness severity with both XBB or BQ.1 viruses.
European circumstances now declining
In a weekly update in the present day, the European Centre for Illness Prevention and Management (ECDC) mentioned COVID circumstances and deaths declined barely final week, with hospitalization ranges remaining secure. Infections in folks ages 65 and older, which had been growing over the previous few weeks, declined by 2%.
The ECDC mentioned it has reclassified BQ.1 as a variant of curiosity and that it represents a quickly growing proportion of variant detections over the European area.
In the meantime, the UK’s Health Security Agency (HSA) mentioned yesterday that almost all COVID indicators decreased final week in comparison with the earlier week. Hospitalizations are nonetheless highest in folks ages 85 and older.
Mary Ramsay, MBBS, director of the HSA’s public well being applications, mentioned the drop in COVID circumstances and hospitalizations is encouraging and factors to the success of the nation’s autumn booster program, throughout which 10 million have already acquired their photographs. Nonetheless, she warned the general public to not turn out to be complacent, on condition that circumstances may rise shortly once more all through the winter.
US markers secure, with rising BQ.1 proportions
In its up to date variant proportion estimates in the present day, the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) reported one other regular rise in BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, which collectively make up 27.1% of subtyped lineages.
The proportion of BA.5 viruses continues to drop steadily and is now at 49.6%, down from 60.3% the week earlier than. Area 2, which incorporates New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, has the very best proportion of BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 viruses.
At the moment, US circumstances have been declining slowly since July, with the US 7-day common for brand spanking new every day circumstances at 38,167 in the present day, in response to the Washington Post tracker. Deaths have held regular since July, with the 7-day common for brand spanking new every day deaths at 461 in the present day, in response to the Publish knowledge.
Up to now, 22.8 million folks have acquired the up to date COVID booster, in response to the CDC’s latest data.
