WHO: New strain of COVID may cause another wave of epidemic

The coronavirus Omicron strain XBB.1.5, which has become the dominant strain in the US in just a matter of weeks, could drive a new wave of cases, a World Health Organization official said, Report informs referring to Politico.

“We are concerned about its growth advantage, in particular in some countries in Europe and the Northeast part of the United States, where XBB.1.5 has rapidly replaced other circulating sub-variants,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead.

Still, health officials are not sure whether that means more people will go to the hospital or die, because of immunity built up by vaccination and prior infection.

Public health officials have detected the strain in 29 countries, but it could be circulating in many more, Van Kerkhove said.

But the WHO doesn’t yet know whether XBB.1.5 is more severe than other circulating sub-variants.

The WHO is working on an analysis of the new strain’s severity that it will publish in the coming days, Van Kerkhove said.