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The number of cases of COVID-19's <keyword id="15929505" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="XBB-1-5-variant" source="Orion">XBB.1.5 variant</keyword>, responsible for the rise in cases in the US, has gone up to 26 in India, according to INSACOG data on Monday. The cases of XBB.1.5 variant have been found across 11 states and Union territories till now, including <keyword id="66" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="delhi" source="Orion">Delhi</keyword>, <keyword id="13126" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="maharashtra" source="Orion">Maharashtra</keyword> and <keyword id="6357783" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="west-bengal" source="Orion">West Bengal</keyword>, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said. The XBB.1.5 strain is a relative of the <keyword id="1609796" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="omicron" source="Orion">Omicron</keyword> XBB variant, which is a recombinant of the Omicron BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants. Combined, XBB and XBB.1.5 make up 44 per cent of cases in the US. The INSACOG data also showed that 14 cases of BF.7 strain which is apparently driving China's COVID-19 wave have been found in India. There are four cases of Omicron sub-variant BF.7 reported in West Bengal, three in Maharashtra, two each in Haryana and Gujarat and one each in Odisha, Delhi and <keyword id="6354780" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="karnataka" source="Orion">Karnataka</keyword>. INSACOG reports genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 across the country through sequencing of samples from sentinel sites and international passengers arriving in India. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/google-cci-penalty-case-will-you-put-in-same-regime-as-in-europe-sc-asks-google/articleshow/97027578.cms">Google-CCI penalty case: 'Will you put in same regime as in Europe', SC asks Google</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/ruchir-modi-lalit-modis-son-named-as-his-successor/slidelist/97023203.cms">The rise of the Lalit Modi heir: All about Ruchir Modi, son &amp; successor of IPL founder</a>

Covid 19's XBB.1.5 variant cases rise to 26 in India: INSACOG

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The XBB.1.5 coronavirus variant is spreading quickly in the US — it's causing 40% of cases.</li><li>This "kraken" variant is more transmissible and evades the immune system better than other Omicrons.</li></ul>A supercharged coronavirus variant called XBB.1.5 is spreading quickly in the US — and it's aggressive enough that scientists have nicknamed it the <a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1608082277900161025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"kraken" variant</a>. "It's probably, arguably, in terms of its immune evasiveness and its ability to attach well, more formidable than any of the other subvariants currently around," Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious-disease expert and professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health, told Insider.According to <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> estimates, XBB.1.5 is now responsible for more than 40% of all COVID-19 cases in the US — a dramatic climb from where it stood just a month ago, when it accounted for less than 4% of cases. In Northeastern states, including Connecticut and Vermont, XBB.1.5 has essentially taken over: It accounts for more than 75% of new reported cases, according to the estimates. "It's doing pretty well right now," Andy Rothstein, a computational biologist, told Insider. "It's doubling week over week."Rothstein, who helps lead the CDC's <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#traveler-genomic-surveillance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">airport-testing and -sequencing program</a> for <a href="https://www.epidemictracker.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Concentric by Ginkgo</a>, a biosecurity division of the Boston biotech company, said the XBB.1.5 variant had two things in its arsenal giving it a competitive advantage: It is more contagious and more immune-evasive than other versions of Omicron.<h2>XBB.1.5 has some new mutational tricks</h2><div type="image" title="kraken" height="668" width="1356" msid="96746569" hostid="261"></div>The XBB.1.5 variant is a descendant of XBB, which was a mash-up of two versions of BA.2 (what virus experts call a "recombinant variant"). Experts were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-xbb-new-infectious-covid-variant-of-omicron-2022-10">worried about XBB</a> as early as October, when it surged in Singapore, but it ended up fizzling out quickly there and scientists still aren't quite sure why. XBB.1.5 was <a href="https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/World/AllSamples/from=2022-09-01&amp;to=2022-10-31/variants?nextcladePangoLineage=XBB.1.5&amp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first noticed</a> in the Northeastern US around New York and Connecticut, and it has a few new mutational tricks up its sleeve. Specifically, it has a new mutation called F486P, which has "supercharged" the variant, Rothstein said, by allowing it to attach to ACE2 receptors in our body more easily. Practically, this could make the virus better at spreading and infecting us than the original XBB. It's unclear whether XBB.1.5 will completely take over in the US, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-worried-to-be-about-ba5-covid-omicron-variant-experts-2022-7">like BA.5 did</a> in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/omicron-ba5-subvariant-becomes-dominant-strain-in-the-us-2022-7">summer</a>, but Rothstein said there were a lot of signs suggesting the Omicron subvariant may become responsible for a large share of domestic cases in the near future. At the very least, it'll likely cocirculate for a while with other variants. <h2>We don't know whether XBB.1.5 will cause more severe illness</h2><div type="image" title="6 covid tests, 2 are positive, 4 are negative" height="1400" width="2100" msid="96746570" hostid="261"></div>It's unclear whether XBB.1.5 will cause more virulent infections, which would make patients sicker than those infected with other Omicron variants, Swartzberg, the infectious-disease expert, said."The preliminary evidence is that it doesn't appear to make us that sick — it's not <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-variant-is-like-covid-19-on-steroids-expert-says-2021-7">as bad as Delta was</a>," he said. "It's more like the other Omicrons."COVID-19 caseloads are decreasing both <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklycases_select_00" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overall</a> in the US and <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data.page#daily" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the Northeast</a>, where XBB.1.5 is <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most prevalent</a>. Swartzberg called that a "wonderful shock" given the holidays and all the indoor gathering that's been going on this winter.While COVID-19 <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#new-hospital-admissions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hospitalization rates are up slightly</a>, those severe cases may not be reflective of XBB.1.5 — they are likely due to increases in disease spread we saw in mid-December, before the kraken variant was very prevalent."We're almost a victim of too much science in the sense that we can track these new variants really well, but we really don't know how to interpret them very well," Swartzberg said.<h2>Vaccines still work decently against XBB.1.5</h2>Preliminary <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7148e1.htm?s_cid=mm7148e1_w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> suggests the new <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/omicron-covid-19-booster-shots-side-effects-timing-2022-9">bivalent COVID-19 boosters</a> provide decent protection against XBB.1.5."It's not ideal, but it's better than it could have been," Swartzberg said. "Pretty good protection against XBB in terms of hospitalization and death, probably not much of anything to preventing infection."For now, the infectious-disease expert's advice remains "the same as always," he said: Stay up to date on vaccinations (both <a href="https://www.insider.com/bad-flu-season-when-should-i-get-a-shot-2022-9">flu</a> and COVID-19), and wear a mask that fits you well, like an N95 or KN95, whenever you're indoors in a public place."If you do those two things during the month of January and for much of February, you're going to not only protect yourself against the ravages of COVID but also the other respiratory viruses that are circulating," he said. His own plan is to keep masking up indoors in public, he said, "until the numbers of cases of COVID and other respiratory viruses dramatically drop, which I hope will be sometime in late February."

What to know about XBB.1.5, the aggressive Omicron variant called the 'kraken' that's skyrocketing in the US

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jimmy Fallon joked that the new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 sounded like Elon Musk's son's name.</li><li>Musk responded to a Tweet sharing the video, calling it: "Tragic."</li></ul>Jimmy Fallon has joked that the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 sounded like one of Elon Musk's children's names.He appeared to be referring to the name of Musk's son, X Æ A-Xii. The comedian and television host made the joke <a href="https://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/jimmy-performs-a-tiny-song-for-covid-variant-xbb15/NBCE366213774" target="_blank" rel="noopener">during a song</a> about the Omicron subvariant when he performed on a January 5 episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." He sang: "It's a new strain, but it isn't the same. Sounds more like Elon Musk's kid's name."The song was shared widely on Twitter after it was seized by conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers. One user <a href="https://twitter.com/SkowMatthew/status/1611800819464081409" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> the video, saying: "Jimmy Fallon singing about how XBB.1.5 is the best Covid variant yet.. This is 5th Gen Warfare.. You are under attack"Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1612506697498791937" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> to a version of the video shared by journalist Glenn Greenwald, calling it: "Tragic."The new Omicron subvariant is spreading quickly in the US and causing more than 40% of new COVID-19 cases, according to estimates from the <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</a> XBB.1.5 is more transmissible and is better at evading the immune system than other Omicrons, experts <a href="https://www.insider.com/xbb15-omicron-new-covid-variant-what-to-know-2023-1">told Insider.</a>Representatives for Fallon and Musk did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.Musk's son, X Æ A-Xii, was born in 2020. The singer Grimes, with whom Musk was in a relationship, is the child's mother.Shortly after his birth, Grimes said each letter of the unusual <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/x-ae-a-12-elon-musk-grimes-baby-name-meaning-2020-5">name was significant.</a> She explained in a <a href="https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1257836061520101377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1257836061520101377%7Ctwgr%5E73a3231d8832c764a1d00efe4be213d0557cded7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fx-ae-a-12-elon-musk-grimes-baby-name-meaning-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweet</a> the X stands for "the unknown variable," Æ for her "elven spelling of Ai," and A-12 for the "precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft.)" As I<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-pronounce-x-ae-a-12-elon-musk-grimes-baby-name-2020-5">nsider previously reported</a>, the couple appeared to have changed the spelling of the baby's name from X Æ A-12 to X Æ A-Xii to comply with California state law.

Jimmy Fallon jokes that new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 sounds like Elon Musk's son's name

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This week the FDA approved an updated version of a COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax.</li><li>This shot is effective at preventing infection with Omicron strains of the virus.</li></ul>On October 3, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of a new,<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-updated-novavax-covid-19-vaccine-formulated-better-protect-against-currently"> updated vaccine from Novavax</a> against COVID-19 variants.The protein-based Novavax vaccine will join the ranks of the recently <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/new-covid-vaccine-booster-when-available-vaccine-cdc-fda-2023-9">updated mRNA vaccines</a> from Pfizer and Moderna.According to the FDA, the Novavax vaccine helps protect against the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/xbb15-omicron-new-covid-variant-what-to-know-2023-1">XBB.1.5 Omicron variant</a>, also known as the "Kraken" variant, for people aged 12 and older.The vaccine will be available at major vaccination locations soon, including Costco, CVS Pharmacy and Rite Aid, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/03/fda-authorizes-novavax-covid-vaccine/71032299007/">USA Today</a> reported.Here's what you need to know about the new shot.<h2>This shot uses a different technology than the mRNA vaccines</h2>Pfizer and Moderna's shots use<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biotech-pivots-to-rna-research-after-covid-19-vaccines-2021-9"> mRNA</a> to instruct the body to manufacture a version of the COVID-19 spike protein that the immune system can learn how to fight. But the new Novavax vaccine works differently.It's a <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/novavax-s-protein-based-covid-vaccine-induces-broadly-neutralizing-responses-against-xbb-subvariants-1032572592">protein-based vaccine</a>, which means it directly gives the body the proteins that are needed to recognize and combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus.Many other <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/what-are-protein-subunit-vaccines-and-how-could-they-be-used-against-covid-19">common vaccines</a> are protein-based vaccines, including vaccines for hepatitis B, pneumonia, and whooping cough.<h2>The Novavax vaccine seems to work as well as the other vaccines</h2>Although protein and mRNA vaccines work differently, they are both effective at preventing COVID-19 infection and severe illness.These updated vaccines are even more protective against newer COVID-19 variants, like the XBB.1.5 variant, which skyrocketed in January 2023.They may also be effective against other descendants of the Omicron variant, like EG.5, also known as "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/new-covid-variant-eris-symptoms-transmission-2023-8">Eris</a>," which is currently the <a target="_blank" href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions">dominant strain</a> in the US. But they haven't been tested against all the currently circulating sub-variants.For healthy people, both types of vaccine will produce a similar immune response.John Moore, a virologist at Cornell University's Weill Cornell Medicine in New York told USA Today that the body produces a similar amount of neutralizing antibodies regardless of the types of vaccines.Moore also told USA Today that those who experienced a sore arm or headache after receiving previous mRNA boosters may fare better with the Novavax shot.It's also OK to mix-and-match vaccines; if you got an mRNA vaccine the first time, it's alright to get the Novavax vaccine now.

A new COVID shot is more effective against current variants &mdash; and may have fewer side effects

<ul class="summary-list"><li>XBB is a new version of Omicron that is evading existing treatments and immunity.</li><li>It is spreading quickly in Singapore, and virus-watchers are worried it could spread in the US.</li></ul>As Halloween approaches, murmurs of another "nightmare" COVID variant on the way are spooking <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-nightmare-xbb-covid-variant-that-beats-our-immunity-is-finally-here">reporters</a> and Wall Street analysts alike. The new variant is called XBB, and it's already triggering a new wave of infections and hospitalizations in some south Asian countries, including India and Singapore. XBB is just one of "multiple more-immune evasive Omicron subvariants on the rise around the world," infectious disease expert Dr. Celine Gounder, a Senior Fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told Insider. But "among the new variants, XBB has the most significant immune evasion properties," market forecasters at Morgan Stanley said Thursday in a memo. Given that we've now seen nearly three full years of COVID variants — and nearly a year of different Omicrons before XBB emerged from them — how worried, really, should we be about this new version of the virus?Experts say we should expect many more infections this fall and winter, including infections in vaccinated, boosted Americans. But there are some simple things you can do to prepare to battle XBB and other evasive COVID variants on the horizon. <h2>What is XBB?</h2><a href="https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/critical-intelligence-unit/sars-cov-2-variants">XBB</a> is a recombinant variant – meaning that it's a combination of two other BA.2 Omicron subvariants (specifically, BA.2.10.1 + BA.2.75).Like other Omicrons we've seen before, XBB is "finding ways to evade the way we get immunity from vaccines and previous infection, with changes on the spike protein," UC Berkeley infectious disease expert John Swartzberg told the <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/Is-there-really-a-COVID-nightmare-variant-17517688.php">San Francisco Chronicle</a>. It remains to be seen whether XBB will actually dominate the landscape of US COVID infections this winter, or whether it'll just be one option among the wide buffet of Omicron subvariants.So far, it's not even making a dent on the <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions">radar</a> of US virus watchers, compared to other Omicrons. It's possible that the BA.5 subvariant, <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lifestyle/renew-houston/health/article/COVID-Q-A-Peter-Hotez-on-new-Scrabble-variants-17514891.php">BQ.1.1.</a>, which is already on the rise in Europe, may turn out to be more of a concern for Americans than XBB ever will. Professor Moritz Gerstung, a computational biologist in Germany, <a href="https://twitter.com/MoritzGerstung/status/1582266906777526274">said recently on Twitter</a> that we might be in for a "tight race" between BQ.1.1 and XBB for the next few months. Both have a slight growth advantage over BA.5, which is the dominant version of COVID right now in the US.<h2>Why is everyone freaking out about XBB?</h2><div type="image" title="cases going up rapidly singapore" height="532" width="729" msid="95016834" hostid="261"></div>In <a href="https://www.gov.sg/article/factually141022-a">Singapore</a>, reinfections and hospitalizations are both up, driven by XBB — though local trends suggest that this version of the virus may also be somewhat milder than BA.5, with a 30% lower risk of hospitalization. Both XBB and BQ.1.1 are also showing resistance to <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-new-monoclonal-antibody-for-treatment-of-covid-19-that-retains-activity-against-omicron-variant-1031187455">monoclonal antibodies</a>, a treatment used for COVID patients.That is why Gounder insists that, whatever happens next, "it's really important for those at the highest risk, including people 50 and over, and people who are immunocompromised, to get boosted right away if they haven't already been this fall." <h2>The new bivalent booster shots should hold up against XBB</h2>Remember: this is still Omicron, and the new boosts from Pfizer and Moderna target BA.4 and BA.5, which are related to XBB. That means existing vaccines should still "protect against severe disease, hospitalization, and death," Gounder said. "But I expect a lot of breakthrough infections despite vaccination" in the coming winter months, she added, whether that's with XBB, or some other evasive new variant. According to <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-people-additional-dose-totalpop">CDC</a> data, fewer than 15 million Americans have gotten an updated booster so far this fall – that's less than 5% of the country, so there is room for improvement both with:<ul><li>More <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/omicron-covid-19-booster-shots-side-effects-timing-2022-9">bivalent</a> <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/yes-time-covid-booster-just-190054964.html">boosters</a> in arms (they are free for everyone in the US)</li><li>More strategic <a href="https://www.insider.com/bad-flu-season-when-should-i-get-a-shot-2022-9">masking</a></li></ul>Gounder said she knows Americans are tired of mitigation measures, but says "high-quality masks will be important for reducing transmission, especially in indoor public spaces" this winter.

A new, stealthy coronavirus variant is spreading fast, spooking scientists and Wall Street analysts, but experts say there is cause for optimism

New <keyword id="1609796" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="omicron" source="Orion">Omicron</keyword> subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 have accounted for about 70 per cent of new Covid-19 cases in the US as the country's overall caseload has surpassed 100 million, according to the latest estimates by the <keyword id="116293" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention" source="Orion">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</keyword> (<keyword id="6379474" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="cdc" source="Orion">CDC</keyword>). BQ.1.1 was estimated to make up about 38.4 per cent of circulating variants in the week ending December 17, and BQ.1 was estimated to make up 30.7 per cent, according to CDC data. The two variants are descendants of Omicron's BA.5 subvariant and they have been growing especially fast since October, reports Xinhua news agency citing the data. At the beginning of October, each of the two new variants accounted for about 1 per cent of new infections. They replaced BA.5 to be dominant strains in mid-November. BA.5 only accounted for 10 per cent of new infections in the latest week. Another Omicron subvariant XBB is also on the rise, accounting for 7.2 per cent of new infections. Researchers found that the BQ and XBB subvariants are "barely susceptible to neutralization" by the vaccines, including the new Omicron boosters, according to a study published recently in the journal <keyword id="6452450" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="cell" source="Orion">Cell</keyword>. This could result in a surge of breakthrough infections and reinfections, though the vaccines have been shown to hold up against severe disease, according to the study. In its latest update on Wednesday, according to data from <keyword id="210763" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="johns-hopkins-university" source="Orion">Johns Hopkins University</keyword>. As of Wednesday, Johns Hopkins University said that country's overall caseload now stood at 100,003,814, while the death toll increased to 1,088,236. With the highest number of cases and deaths, the US remains the worst-hit country in the world. It accounts for more than 15 per cent of the global caseload and over 16 per cent of the overall fatalities. The country's Covid caseload reached 50 million on December 13, 2021, crossed 60 million on January 9, 2022, exceeded 70 million on January 21, topped 80 million on March 29, and surpassed 90 million on July 21. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/lucky-number-in-2023-based-on-date-of-birth-and-zodiac-sign/slidelist/96362537.cms">Lucky Number based on zodiac Sign in 2023</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/tawang-to-get-more-mobile-towers-for-better-connectivity-after-india-china-clash/articleshow/96390882.cms">Tawang to get more mobile towers for better connectivity after India-China clash</a>

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Covid 19's XBB.1.5 variant cases rise to 26 in India: INSACOG

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What to know about XBB.1.5, the aggressive Omicron variant called the 'kraken' that's skyrocketing in the US

Hilary Brueck

Jimmy Fallon jokes that new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 sounds like Elon Musk's son's name

Beatrice Nolan

A new COVID shot is more effective against current variants and may have fewer side effects

Kate Hull

A new, stealthy coronavirus variant is spreading fast, spooking scientists and Wall Street analysts, but experts say there is cause for optimism

Hilary Brueck

New Omicron subvariants account for nearly 70% new Covid cases in US

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