A new strain of Covid-19 dubbed the ‘nightmare’ variant has reached 18 known cases in the UK – with scientists and experts urging residents to keep up to date with qualified vaccines.
The warning comes after cases of the XBB strain were found across Great Britain in a total of 1,086,639 samples uploaded from Singapore.
The mutated variant may be a minor factor in the recent surge in coronavirus cases, as it spreads rapidly and appears to evade vaccine immunity.
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While the XBB strain has not yet been identified as a worrisome variant, the Mirror reports that experts are closely monitoring the situation. It comes as one of two new strains of the global virus to enter the UK, the second being the new BQ.1 variant.
More than 700 cases have been reported in the UK to date.
Dr Meera Chand, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections at the UK Health Standards Agency (UKHSA), said: “It is not unexpected that new variants of SARS-CoV-2 have emerged. Not identified as the BQ.1 or XBB variants. This is a concern and UKHSA is, as always, monitoring the situation closely.
“Vaccination remains our best defense against future waves of Covid-19, so it’s as important as ever that people get all the doses they’re entitled to as soon as possible.”
XBB was found back in India in August, as it is in at least 13 other countries, including Bangladesh, Japan, Singapore and Denmark and Australia. It is also found in Hong Kong.
Singapore’s Ministry of Health said XBB was responsible for 22 percent to 54 percent of Covid-19 cases in a week. About 80 percent of Singaporeans are fully vaccinated.
Although Singapore’s Ministry of Health says there is no evidence XBB causes more serious illness, it appears to be resistant to treatments. Ong Ye Kung said the country is expected to average 15,000 cases per day by mid-November.
Infectious disease expert John Swartzberg previously told the San Francisco Chronicle: “We’re seeing new types that are using this same approach to survive — they’re finding ways to evade vaccines and the way we’ve been immunized from previous infections. Spike protein.
“XBB is no different from the others.”
XBB is a mutation on omicron BA.2. 23 cases of XBB have been found in the USA. Natalie Thornburg, CDC lead respiratory virus immunology specialist, said: “XBB is a chimera. I think there are some recognizable scenes in the United States.
“But it’s way, way, way below the one percent threshold. I mean, it’s really like a few scenes.”
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