According to the EU health authority ECDC, the XBB.1.5 strain of the omicron variant of the coronavirus does not pose a major risk to most people in Europe. The risk to the general population in the European Economic Area (EEA) is classified as low, health experts and specialists wrote in an assessment published yesterday.
On the other hand, there is a moderate to high risk, depending on immunity to the corona virus, for vulnerable people such as the elderly, unvaccinated and immunocompromised. Despite the fact that the proportion of CoV cases is still low, the Stockholm-based authority expects the virus to spread quickly.
Mathematical models indicated that XBB.1.5 could become dominant in the EEA in less than one to two months, the assessment said. There is currently no evidence that infection with XBB.1.5 results in a more severe disease course than infection with earlier omicron underscores.
Currently, XBB.1.5 is only represented at a very low level in the EEA, but it could already dominate in the coming months, explained German ECDC director Andrea Ammon. Therefore, ECDC recommends conducting and evaluating trials, administering more CoV vaccines, and strengthening infection prevention and control measures. In addition to the 27 EU member states, the EEA also includes Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.