Is COVID-19 Vaccine Effective Against Highly Contagious XBB Variant?
COVID-19 vaccines and boosters were found to be highly effective against the highly transmissible sub-lineages of Omicron -- XBB and its subvariant XBB.1.5, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
First seen in August, XBB.1.5 now accounts for nearly 90 percent of all COVID-19 cases reported in the US, the CDC said.
‘The bivalent COVID-19 booster was found to be more protective against the Omicron variant than monovalent COVID-19 vaccine. ’
The latest CDC study found that, despite the mismatch in variants, the booster remains protective against XBB.
"There is incremental or additional protection from getting the bivalent on top of those past monovalent doses," Ruth Link-Gelles, the paper's first author, was quoted as saying to the media.
XBB.1.5: Coronavirus Omicron Variant
The prevalence of XBB.1.5 has kept increasing since late last year, and it is estimated to account for 89.2 percent of new COVID-19 cases in the US this week, up from 85.4 percent last week and 79.7 percent two weeks prior, Xinhua news agency reported.Early study suggests XBB.1.5 has a couple of concerning mutations that suggest it is even more contagious than other strains, possibly the most transmissible one so far.
While XBB.1.5 is spreading easier, scientists said it does not seem to cause more severe disease.
However, a separate study, which hasn't yet been peer-reviewed, suggests that protection against COVID-19 fades within about three months against XBB, faster than against other variants.
Source: IANS