Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 present in 33 countries is causing Covid infections to surge again
Posted Date – Monday, 4/24/23 at 10:15pm
New Delhi: The Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 is present in 33 countries, and there has been another surge in Covid infections and deaths in Italy, the US, the UK, Vietnam and others including India.
According to Italy’s health ministry, the country recorded 27,982 new positive cases between April 14 and 20, compared with 21,779 the previous week.
The number of deaths also increased by 48.1% to 191 compared to the previous week (129).
The latest estimates from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that the subvariant XBB.1.16 accounted for 9.6% of new infections this week — up from nearly 6% the week before and about 3% two weeks ago.
There are at least 135 cases of Omicron XBB.1.16 in the UK, the UK Health and Safety Agency (UKHSA) said in its latest technical briefing. It also claimed five lives in England.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam recorded 56 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours on April 23, with 42 of them hospitalized, media reports said. Currently, 180 patients are being treated in healthcare facilities, with 57 requiring mechanical ventilation.
In addition, there have been more than 100 Covid cases in Singapore and Australia.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 3,648 Omicron XBB.1.16 variant sequences have so far been reported on the open research platform GISAID by 33 countries, including India.
Meanwhile, India on Monday reported 7,178 new Covid cases in the past 24 hours, according to data shared by the Union Health Ministry.
India’s current Covid surge is showing signs of slowing down. National cases have risen 20% over the past seven days, markedly down from a peak of 80% to 110% in the previous five weeks, as seven-day case numbers had been surging earlier as seven-day cases fell in four infected states.
Kerala, which has been reporting the highest number of new cases, has seen a 13% drop this week. Cases also fell in the states of Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Goa and Jammu and Kashmir, while Maharashtra did not rise.
The global health agency also upgraded XBB.1.16 to a Covid-19 “variant of interest” (VOI) last week, as several countries reported “sustained growth” and “growth dominance”.
Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for the WHO’s Covid-19 response, said in a tweet that XBB.1.16 had shown “a growth advantage and immune escape”.
According to the World Health Organization, although there has been a “slight increase” in the number of hospitalizations associated with XBB.1.16 in India and Indonesia, the level is “well below previous waves of variants.”
Furthermore, “available information does not suggest that XBB.1.16 poses additional public health risks relative to XBB.1.5 and other currently prevalent Omicron descendant lineages”.
“However, XBB.1.16 may become dominant in some countries and lead to increased case rates due to its growth advantage and immune escape properties,” WHO added.
