Strong increase: New corona variant becomes dominant in the USA - Lauterbach observes progress
Created: 2023-01-02 14:21
By: Helmi Krappitz
The new Corona variant XBB.1.5 is spreading rapidly in the USA.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach wants to monitor the development.
Atlanta – The wave of corona infections in China has raised concerns about new variants.
But now attention is drawn to a new corona variant in the USA.
A high proportion of new infections in the United States are of the recently discovered variant XBB.1.5.
Experts assume a high level of infection, but no severe courses.
New corona variant: Frequency doubles every week
In the week before the turn of the year, the new corona variant XBB.1.5 was behind almost 40.5 percent of the new infections, according to the US health authority CDC.
An easier transmission of the variant is suspected.
Richard Neher, head of the Evolution of Viruses and Bacteria research group at the University of Basel's Biozentrum, told
dpa
: "We've been monitoring XBB.1.5 since mid-November, and their frequency has roughly doubled every week."
New infections with the corona variant XBB.1.5 in the USA are doubling every week.
(Iconic image) © Aimee Dilger/ IMAGO
The new corona variant XBB.1.5 is related to the omicron subvariant BA.2.
Behind the new variant is a mutation called F486P in the spike protein.
This is responsible for connecting virus and human cells.
Neher explains one possible effect: “This mutation may improve binding to the ACE2 receptor on human cells.
However, it is not clear exactly what this means.” A consequence of severe courses due to the mutation is not yet known.
"You have to watch that": Lauterbach appeals to variant monitoring
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) commented on Twitter on the rapid spread of the corona variant: “This corona variant, XBB.1.5, which is now being observed more closely in the US, shows that new, more dangerous variants are still coming.
Not just from China.
Variant monitoring remains important and must be expanded.” Lauterbach added in another tweet that this must be observed.
The Robert Koch Institute has not yet grasped the new variant in the latest Corona weekly report.
However, this was already published on December 22, 2022.
(hk / dpa)
