whilst 2023 is here and people hope for a new year of positivity and hope there is bad news on the COVID front the CDC stats show a new variable increasing across United States of America.
Known as the XBB.1.5 variant, the new type of coronavirus accounts for about 41 percent of confirmed cases across America.
These statistics are provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest boom has really gained traction this holiday season, as families travel and get together and has been given the perfect opportunity to spread.
When was XBB.1.5 first seen?
It was first reported in mid-November, but the XBB.1.5 variant has now overtaken the BQ 1 and BQ 1.1 variants which were the dominant variants after the summer.
What is of particular concern to scientists is how powerful and destructive COVID-19 is, and is it still capable of mutating.
The most common XBB.1.5 variant is found in the Northeast section of the country according to the New York Post.
More than 70 percent of COVID cases in New York are now believed to be XBB.1.5.
“The virus needs to bind tightly to cells to be more efficient at getting in and that could help the virus be a little more effective at infecting people,” he explained. Andrew Picosa virologist at Johns Hopkins University, in an interview with CNBC.
Do not panic
At the moment, there are no indications that the XBB.1.5 variant causes any more severe disease or risk than all previous coronavirus strains.
This means that the public should not be alarmed by the emergence of this new alternative, but simply continue to practice good hygiene and other measures known to combat COVID.
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