New XBB 1.5 Covid-19 Variant: Experts Warn It’s The Next ‘Big Thing’

A new coronavirus variant, XBB.1.5 is reported to be widely spreading in the United States of America and in other countries, including China, raising concerns of increased global infections.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the XBB caused nearly 41% of the new covid-19 infections in the month of December and in the Northeast of America, it is causing at least 75% of infections.

Experts describe the new variant as a cross bread of two different variants of coronavirus and has the potential t cause more infections than the other known variants.

According to a recently published article by the New England Journal of Medicine, the XBB variant is “more immune-evasive than the previous variants.” However, persons who have received the “updated bivalent booster jab are better protected against it than those who have not.”

Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, Dr. Allison Arwady said the new variant is not showing any widely different symptoms as has been seen from all covid-19 variants, that is flu-like symptoms.

But the Indian Public University of Purnia’s health department believes patients who have the new variant may be experiencing pain in chest and shaking as well as changes in sense of smell and hearing loss as has been found in China.

Meanwhile an epidemiologist in the US, Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding has described this variant as “the next big one”.