The new omicron subvariant XXB caused a rapid increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations in Singapore. XXB could also become a problem in this country.
Munich – Everywhere in the world people dive again and again Coronavirus-variants on. Some disappear again very quickly. Others, on the other hand, are spreading at breakneck speed, such as the new corona variant called XXB. This subvariant comes from the Omikron-Line. XXB was first detected in India in August 2022. XXB has now appeared in 17 countries.
Omicron subvariant XXB: Singapore expects the peak of the corona wave in mid-November
Omicron subvariant XXB is currently driving Singapore’s coronavirus infection numbers, the country’s Ministry of Health said MOH) in its most recent management report (October 15, 2022). XXB is now dominant. The proportion of the sub-variant is now 54 percent (previous week: 22 percent). According to the report, the omicron variant BA.5, which had prevailed until then, was pushed to a share of 21 percent. According to the MOH report, Singapore expects the XXB infection wave to peak around mid-November 2022. Clinics are already preparing for the corona wave. Beds are increased, stable patients are discharged or transferred.
Is the new Omicron subvariant XXB dangerous?
According to some experts, XXB is the most contagious variant to date. Researchers fear that corona drugs could become ineffective.
“It’s probably the most immune-avoiding variant,” said Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at the John Hopkins Center for Health Security, according to the news portal The Daily Beast. The MOH Singapore formulates the properties of XXB more cautiously: There are indications that XXB may lead to an increase in reinfections. So far there is not enough data to indicate that XXB causes severe courses. But since the population’s immunity to the natural defenses of infection is likely to wane over time, vaccinations, particularly booster shots with Moderna’s and Biontech/Pfizer’s adapted BA.4 and BA.5 vaccines, are particularly important.
A booster with the adapted BA.4 and BA.5 vaccine seems to work well against XXB. As is well known, not all infections or reinfections can be prevented by vaccination. But the booster increases protection against a severe or even fatal course of the disease.
XXB: The most important thing about the omicron subvariant
- Omicron subvariant XXB was first detected in August 2022.
- XXB has seven mutations on the spike protein. Therefore, the immune system has a harder time recognizing XXB. The omicron subvariant tricks antibodies and can enter our body cells more easily.
- XXB is possibly more contagious than the previous circulating Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus variants. So far there is not enough data to indicate that XXB causes severe courses.
- According to experts, adapted BA.4 and BA.5 omicron vaccines from Moderna and Biontech/Pfizer protect against severe courses.
Will the omicron subvariant XXB also establish itself in Europe and Germany?
XXB is currently spreading particularly quickly in Singapore. In Europe, on the other hand, another omicron subvariant seems to be on the road to success: the omicron BA.5 subline called BQ.1.1.
In the last few weeks, “the BA.5 sublines BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, although still rare, have been increasingly detected in Germany,” according to the latest RKI Corona Weekly Report (as of October 13, 2022).
According to Cornelius Römer, bioinformatician and corona variant expert, the next few weeks should show whether BQ.1.1 will drive a new wave in Europe and North America before the end of November.
Corona in Germany: Omicron subvariants XXB and BQ.1 under observation
It is initially unclear whether XXB or BQ.1 will prevail. “In the next few months there could be a close race between the Sars-CoV-2 variants BQ.1.1 and XBB.1,” writes Moritz Gerstung from the German Cancer Research Center Twitter. “Globally, BQ.1.1 grew about 12% faster than BA.5, from about 10% in Belgium to about 15% in Germany.
– XBB.1 grew >20% faster than BA.5 in Singapore, ~13% in US but only ~7% in Denmark”. There is currently still uncertainty about the growth rate of XXB, the modeler explains in his Twitter thread. BQ.1.1 is widely used in Europe and North America. It is therefore likely that this variant will retain a higher share.
It doesn’t matter which of the two candidates wins the race. The number of corona cases is currently increasing in Germany. That Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports on Tuesday (October 18, 2022) more than 150,000 new infections. Clinics are already at the limit – and “only” the Omikron variant BA.5 is circulating in this country. (ml)