Discovered late last year, the XBB.1.5 omicron sub-variant is the most transmissible known, and against the backdrop of its spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) expects an increase in the number of COVID infections around the world, said WHO expert Maria van Kerkhove.
⠀
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing on Wednesday that the XBB.1.5 omicron sub-variant was identified in October 2022 and is a recombinant of the omicron BA.2 sub-lineages. According to the head of WHO, the number of infections caused by this subvariant “is growing in the US and Europe, and it has now been identified in more than 25 countries.”
⠀
“WHO is closely monitoring this sub-option and assessing the risk and will report on it. COVID-19 will undoubtedly remain a major topic of discussion, but I believe and hope that with the right efforts, this will be the year of the official end of the regional emergency. public health,” he said.
⠀
In turn, WHO expert Maria van Kerkhove said that this option is the most transmissible among the existing ones.
⠀
“This is the most transmissible sub-variant that has been found so far. The reason for this is the mutations that are in this recombinant sub-variant of Omicron, which allow this virus to attach to the cell and be easily copied,” the WHO representative said.
⠀
She stressed that the organization is concerned about the spread of XBB.1.5, especially in some countries in Europe, the US and North America.
⠀
“We expect new waves of infection around the world, but this should not lead to new waves of deaths, because our countermeasures continue to work,” the WHO representative said.
