The United States is becoming increasingly vigilant about the new coronavirus Omicron derivative strains. The American scientific magazine "CELL" published a paper on December 15 stating that the popular Omicron-derived strains "BQ.1" and "XBB" in the United States are difficult to prevent infection through the existing vaccine and antibody drugs, and "will pose a serious threat."
kale pictures Photography/Ning Ying
According to a recently published paper by researchers from Columbia University and the University of Michigan: "It is difficult for the existing COVID-19 vaccine to be effective against BQ and XBB Omicron-derived strains, which will constitute a serious "It is a serious threat. The approved antibody drugs are not effective." He also pointed out: "Due to their immune evasion properties, these two derivative strains may have accounted for the majority of infected people."
It is reported that BQ.1 is a sub-lineage of BA.5 and has a higher risk of reinfection. XBB is a recombination of the Omicron BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 sublineages, which has shown obvious growth advantages in countries such as Singapore and India. Japanese experts believe that XBB may become the main strain of the eighth wave of COVID-19 in Japan and remind people to take precautions.
The latest data released by WHO shows that as of early October, the global prevalence rate of BQ.1 is 6% and has been found in 65 countries and regions. The global prevalence rate of XBB is 1.3% and has been found in 35 countries and regions. Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that these derivative strains account for more than 70% of the total number of new infections.
The WHO stated that current data do not indicate that XBB is substantially different from other mutant strains in causing severe illness and death. However, early evidence suggests that XBB is more capable of immune evasion and carries a higher risk of reinfection. Whether XBB is sufficient to drive a new wave of infections appears to depend on the immune status and vaccination coverage in each region.
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Source: Science Power is comprehensively compiled from Nikkei Chinese Network, Caixin.com, Financial Associated Press, etc.
Author: Lao Ma
Editor: Zhao Dina
Reviewer: Gong Zimo
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