New COVID-19 variant

February 1, 2023

A new coronavirus variant, XBB.1.5, is quickly becoming the dominant strain in the United States. XBB.5, a descendant of the omicron variant, is highly transmissible and rose from barely 2% of cases at the start of December to more than 27% the first week of January, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most common symptoms reported by people suffering from XBB1.5 include body aches, congestion, headache, fever, chills, sore throat, fatigue and runny nose. Health officials are recommending that people get an updated COVID-19 booster shot, which is formulated for omicron subvariants like XBB.1.5. New federal data shows adults who received the updated shots cut their risk of being hospitalized with COVID-19 by 50%.

(Source: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)