"XBB.1.16 edged out other variants in India"
With the new COVID variant XBB 1.16 on loose, the COVID cases in the country are rising rapidly.
COVID accounts for 60% of the COVID cases as per Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) data, TOI reported.
A Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), University of Minnesota report citing Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD, the WHO's technical lead for COVID-19 has said that XBB.1.16 has replaced other circulating sub variants in India.
The WHO COVID lead has also said that of the 800 sequences they have obtained from 22 countries, most of them are from India.
XBB 1.16 has signs of increased infectivity: WHO
As per lab studies, Van Kerkhove said, XBB.1.16 has shown signs of increased infectivity as well as potentially increased pathogenicity.
India reported the highest COVID cases in six months.
The union government and state governments have issued advisory and have increased testing and surveillance in the country.
What are the symptoms seen in XBB 1.16 caused COVID infection?
So far no change in the pattern or type of COVID symptoms has come to notice.
The classic symptoms associated with COVID caused by previous strains of the coronavirus are seen currently as well.
The common signs are fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, muscle ache and abdominal issues.
"So this is one to watch"
"So this is one to watch. It's been in circulation for a few months," she said. "We haven't seen a change in severity in individuals or in populations, but that's why we have these systems in place," the CIDRAP report added.
""We're still in a public health emergency of international concern at a global level and a pandemic. The virus is still circulating. But we are in a much better situation than we were at the beginning of this pandemic," she also said.
Over 25 000 deaths related to COVID were reported in the last 28 days: WHO
As per the World Health Organisation's weekly epidemiological update on COVID globally, nearly 3.6 million new cases and over 25 000 deaths were reported in from 27 February to 26 March 2023.
"Despite an overall downward trend, important to note that several countries have recently reported significant increases in cases and there are consistently 5-10,000 deaths/week," Van Kerkhove has said.
XBB.1.16 was added as the sixth variant under monitoring on March 22
The WHO added the XBB 1.16 variant under monitoring on March 22.
Currently, WHO is closely tracking one variant of interest (VOI), XBB.1.5, and six variants under monitoring (VUMs)-BQ.1, BA.2.75, CH.1.1, XBB, XBF and XBB.1.16.
Why is XBB 1.16 spreading so fast?
XBB.1.16 is a recombinant of BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 and has three mutations in the spike protein at E180V, F486P and K478R. Of these three mutations, the mutations at position 478 of the COVID spike protein have been associated with decreased antibody neutralization, increased transmissibility, and pathogenicity.
"However, so far reports do not indicate a rise in hospitalizations, ICU admissions, or deaths due to XBB.1.16. Further, there are currently no reported laboratory studies on markers of disease severity for XBB.1.16," the WHO's weekly report says.
What is the status of the previous COVID variants and sub variants?
Currently, the Omicron variant is circulating worldwide.
Among the sub variants of the Omicron, XBB 1.16 along with XBB is seen in 119 countries, BQ.1 and BA.2.75 are seen in 141 and 119 countries, respectively.
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