1 year ago
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>> YOU’RE WATCHING WCVB NEWSCENTER 5 AT 5:30. ERIKA: THERE IS A NEW COVID VARIANT TAKING HOME THE NORTHEAST. JESSICA: HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS A HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST AT TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US. THE LATEST DATA SHOWS THE VARIANT XP BE ACCOUNTS FOR JUST OVER HALF THE CASES IN OUR REGION. IT SEEMS THIS VARIANT MAY BE MORE EASILY SPREAD, BUT, WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT ITS SEVERITY? >> THE GOOD NEWS IS WE HAVE NOT SEEN A VARIANCE OR SOME VARIANT YET THAT IS MORE SEVERE SINCE THE ARRIVAL OF OMICRON OVER A YEAR AGO WHICH WAS IF ANYTHING LESS SEVERE. ERIKA: THAT IS THE SILVER LINING. SINCE THE START OF THE PANDEMIC WE HAVE ACCUMULATED A NUMBER OF TOOLS TO FIGHT THE VIRUS. DO WE HAVE A SENSE OF HOW WELL THOSE WILL WORK AGAINST THIS VARIANT? >> WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT ANY VARIANT AND THIS ONE HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE AT LEAST TOBER SO IT IS NOT NEW NEW. WE ARE LOOKING TO SEE IF IT CAUSES FALSE NEGATIVE TESTS. IT DOES NOT. IF IT MAKES ANTIVIRALS LIKE PAXLOVID NOT WORK. IT DOES NOT. IF IT MAKES MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES WHICH ARE USED FOR TREATMENT AND PREVENTION NETWORK, IT DOES. IF IT EVADES IMMUNITY FROM VACCINES AND PART INFECTION. IT DOES. OF THE INFECTION CAN STILL OCCUR AFTER VACCINATION OR AFTER AN INFECTION, IMMUNITY PROTECTS AGAINST SEVERE DISEASE. JESSICA: WE KNOW NEXT WEEK UNIT STATES WILL START REQUIRING A NEGATIVE COVID TEST FOR THOSE FLYING FROM CHINA. THAT COUNTRY IS IN THE GRIPS OF ANOTHER SEVERE OUTBREAK. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF ALL THIS AND THE DECISION TO GET THEM TESTED DRIVING -- FLYING IN FROM THAT? >> WE ARE ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A NEW VARIANT THAT COULD BE OMICRON LIKE CAUSING A MASSIVE WAVE OF HOSPITALIZATION AT INFECTION. LUCKILY NOTHING HAS COME CLOSE. WHAT WE KNOW OF THE CURRENTLY CIRCULATING VARIANCE IN CHINA IS NOT CONCERNING FOR THAT. THERE IS PLENTY OF COVID EVERYWHERE FOR A NEW VARIANT TO ARRIVE SO WE -- I’M NOT SURE IF CHINA IS NECESSARILY SURE WHERE IT WOULD ARISE AND I DON’T THINK REQUIRING A NEGATIVE TEST WILL MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE BUT WHAT I DO LIKE IS THE PLAN TO EXPAND THE VOLUNTARY TRAVELER BASED TO -- SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM WHICH COLLECTS AND SLOTS FROM RETURNING TRAVELERS ON ARRIVAL TO A MONITOR FOR VARIANCE. ERIKA: THIS IS THE SEASON OF GATHERING. NEW YEAR’S COMING UP. PEOPLE ARE LIKELY TO BE INSIDE. WE HAVE THIS NEW ISSUE VARIANT. SHOULD THIS BE CHANGING PEOPLE ARE CELEBRATING? WOULD YOU CHANGE THE WAY YOU CELEBRATE? >> I WOULD NOT AT ALL. I TRUST MY VACCINES TO KEEP ME SAFE. I’M NOT TRYING TO AVOID RESPIRATORY VIRUSES AT ALL COSTS. THAT IS NOT THE STAGE OF THE PANDEMIC WE ARE IN. WE HAVE HAD HIGHS AND LOWS LIKE THIS SEVERAL TIMES THIS YEAR. PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY HIGH RISK THEY MIGHT MAKE DIFFERENT DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR WILLINGNESS TO DO THINGS. THAT IS FINE TOO.
CDC data: Omicron subvariant XBB present ascendant strain of COVID-19 successful New England
COVID-19 had a Christmas astonishment for New England. Data from the week ending connected Christmas Eve shows a caller strain of the microorganism had rapidly overtaken each others to go the ascendant coronavirus strain successful the region. The variant named XBB has been tracked successful New England for months, but information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows it remained liable for a tiny percent of wide cases until recently. As of the week ending Dec. 3, the CDC information shows XBB was liable for 11.1% of cases. That astir doubled to 20.2% successful the pursuing week and grew to 34.3% for the week aft that. As of the week ending Dec. 24, the CDC reported that XBB was liable for 52.6% of cases successful New England. According to a World Health Organization connection issued successful October, XBB is simply a recombinant of 2 erstwhile omicron sublineages. Based connected accusation disposable astatine that time, the WHO said aboriginal grounds suggested XBB infections were not substantially much terrible than different subvariants. "There is, however, aboriginal grounds pointing astatine a higher reinfection risk, arsenic compared to different circulating Omicron sublineages," the WHO wrote. Nationwide, different strains stay ascendant but the percent of cases XBB variant has grown significantly. The CDC reports that XBB is liable for 18.3% of cases successful the week ending connected Dec. 24, up from 4.2% during the week ending connected Dec. 3.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
NEEDHAM, Mass. —
COVID-19 had a Christmas astonishment for New England. Data from the week ending connected Christmas Eve shows a caller strain of the microorganism had rapidly overtaken each others to go the ascendant coronavirus strain successful the region.
The variant named XBB has been tracked successful New England for months, but information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows it remained liable for a tiny percent of wide cases until recently.
As of the week ending Dec. 3, the CDC information shows XBB was liable for 11.1% of cases. That astir doubled to 20.2% successful the pursuing week and grew to 34.3% for the week aft that.
As of the week ending Dec. 24, the CDC reported that XBB was liable for 52.6% of cases successful New England.
According to a World Health Organization statement issued successful October, XBB is simply a recombinant of 2 erstwhile omicron sublineages. Based connected accusation disposable astatine that time, the WHO said aboriginal grounds suggested XBB infections were not substantially much terrible than different subvariants.
"There is, however, aboriginal grounds pointing astatine a higher reinfection risk, arsenic compared to different circulating Omicron sublineages," the WHO wrote.
Nationwide, different strains stay ascendant but the percent of cases XBB variant has grown significantly. The CDC reports that XBB is liable for 18.3% of cases successful the week ending connected Dec. 24, up from 4.2% during the week ending connected Dec. 3.
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