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A new Omicron variant XBB.1.5, which is spreading rapidly in the United States, has been detected in South Africa, but scientists in the African country most officially affected by the Covid-19 pandemic fear the new variant. says no. A “tidal wave” of infectious diseases.
Tullio de Oliveira, a South African virology star who became famous for discovering Beta and Omicron, said, “Because of strong population immunity and previous waves of Omicron subspecies, large infections with hospitalization occurred in South Africa. I don’t think there will be a wave of illness,” he said. Variant, said on his Twitter on Friday.
South Africa, which detected its first case of Omicron in late 2021, has recorded more than 4 million coronavirus cases and more than 102,500 deaths. About 48% of the target population is vaccinated.
Also read: COVID-19: Ghana imposes restrictions on travelers from China
The grandson of the Omicron family, XBB.1.5, is “the most contagious variant ever detected,” the World Health Organization (WHO) warned this week.
De Oliveira said on Friday the subvariant was detected in samples taken in late December in the southern African country, but there has been no “increase in cases, hospitalizations or deaths” at this stage. Hmm.
XBB.1.5 is present in about 30 countries and is becoming predominant in Europe and the US in particular. Its exact characteristics are still unknown. However, the initial data, according to WHO, indicate that a booster dose of the bivalent vaccine will produce neutralizing antibodies.
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