The World Health Organization (WHO) indicated on Wednesday that it is assessing the risk of the new XBB.1.5 subvariant of the Covid-19 coronavirus, which spreads rapidly in several countries and may be more transmissible.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference that the organization “is closely monitoring and assessing the risk” of this subvariant, which “spreads rapidly,” and will “report accordingly” with new data obtained.
The XBB.1.5 subvariant of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 results from a recombination of two BA.2 sublines and has already been detected in 29 countries, including the United States, where it already represents about 40% of covid-19 cases.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, this subvariant “may be more transmissible”, although it is not yet known if it will have “more serious” effects.
The WHO technical leader in the response to covid-19, Maria Van Kerkhove, went further and said today, in the press videoconference, quoted by the AFP agency, that XBB.1.5 “is the most transmissible subvariant detected to date.” the moment”.
The WHO Technical Advisory Group on the Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus mentioned in a statement that it is evaluating the “rapid increase in the proportion” of the subvariant in the United States and in other countries.
Covid-19 is an infectious respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, a type of virus detected three years ago in China and which has spread rapidly throughout the world, having adopted various variants and subvariants, some of which are more contagious. what others .
The disease is an international public health emergency since January 30, 2020 and a pandemic since March 11, 2020.
Source: TSF
