The new Omikron XBB.1.5 variant is still hot. However, data are scarce.
It got off to an incredibly fast start and was even dubbed the “supervariant”: the descendant of Omicron XBB.1.5. In the United States, the highly contagious subline quickly accounts for a quarter of cases and is also on the rise in Austria.
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Although it has now slowed down somewhat, as molecular biologist Ulrich Elling shows in his graph, experts are currently unable to give a clear assessment of where XBB.1.5 will lead in Austria: “Current data are too few and too sparse to make a clear statement for power”, said the scientist in the interview with “Today”. The reason for this is, on the one hand, the high number of unreported cases due to ski tourism, on the other hand, there is no more data from countries like Germany.
crucial hybrid immunity
The most important question for the researcher regarding the new variant is what the hybrid immunity is and how well it can support the variant. Hybrid immunity exists when there is not only vaccine protection, but also some protection against the virus as a result of an infection that has already passed.
At Omikron, however, there were not so many serious cases due to vaccination against corona. “Vaccine protection ensures a milder course,” Elling recalls. “This time, many people are not only vaccinated, but also recovered.” For this reason, there is “no indication of a serious course and no indication that more people will have to go to the hospital because of XBB.1.5.”
Dr Ulrich Elling from the Institute for Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and his team are responsible for monitoring sequencing throughout Austria.Peter Duchek/IMBA
sore throat and nausea
The symptoms themselves don’t change much. Typical for an XBB.1.5 variant infection are tiredness and exhaustion, cold symptoms such as sore throat, cough, runny or blocked nose, headache and body aches, fever, and nausea.
Less frequently, those infected with this type of virus complain of loss of smell and taste, as happened with the alpha and beta variants.
kiky time navigation account23.01.2023, 20:57| Act: 01/23/2023, 20:57