- Health officials in NYC warn the subvariant could be more likely to infect those who have already had COVID-19
By Julia Musto
New York City health officials are warning residents that the infectious omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 may be more likely to infect people who have already been vaccinated or infected with COVID-19.
“Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 now accounts for 73% of all sequenced COVID-19 cases in NYC,” the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene tweeted on Friday. “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 department added that getting vaccinated against the virus, including receiving an updated booster shot, remains the best way to protect against hospitalization and death, including from new variants.
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. pic.twitter.com/1Ux8LNHwUu
— nychealthy (@nycHealthy) January 13, 2023
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, XBB.1.5 accounts for 43% of cases in the U.S.
In the first week of January, the subvariant accounted for about 30% of cases.
XBB.1.5, an offshoot of XBB, was first detected in October.
The World Health Organization warned earlier this week that it may lead to an increased number of cases based on genetic characteristics and early growth rate estimates.
Scientists have cautioned that the virus will surely keep evolving.
“Our concern is how transmissible it is,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, said.