Cases of Covid-19 caused by the XBB.1.5 subvariant of the coronavirus have been increasing in the United States in recent weeks. THE Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the strain represents about 28% of the diagnoses of the disease in the country and is already among the most prevalent, putting health authorities on alert in the fourth year of the pandemic.
Studies on XBB.1.5, dubbed by some scientists as Kraken – a kind of monster from Norse mythology that threatened navigators –, try to predict whether it would be capable of causing a new global wave of Covid-19.
The World Health Organization (WHO) believes so, however, classifies the risk assessment of the strain as “low”. “Based on its genetic characteristics and estimates of the initial growth rate, XBB.1.5 may contribute to increases in case incidence,” states the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE).
TAG-VE representatives met last week to address the new subvariant and carry out a risk assessment based on available evidence. They recommend that countries prioritize studies to properly address uncertainties related to growth advantage, antibody leakage, and severity of XBB.1.5.
more transmissible
XBB.1.5 is a strain of XBB, a recombinant of two BA.2 strains, and carries a mutation seen infrequently, but which may increase its infectivity and ensure its survival. WHO director Maria Van Kerkhove called it the “most transmissible disease ever identified”.
“The reason for this is the mutations that are within this Omicron subvariant, allowing this virus to adhere to the cell and replicate easily. We are concerned about its growth advantage, in particular in European countries and the United States”, said Maria in a press conference on January 4th.
XBB.1.5 in the world
Specialists believe that, as happened in past waves, XBB.1.5 should become dominant in some countries because there are no competitors compatible with its characteristics.
Between October 22, 2022 and January 11, 2023, genetic sequencing tests confirmed 5,288 cases of Covid-19 by XBB.1.5 in 38 countries. The United States concentrates the vast majority of them (82.2%), followed by the United Kingdom (8.1%) and Denmark (2.2%).
The first Brazilian case was confirmed last Friday (6/1). The patient is a 54-year-old woman who lives in the city of Indaiatuba, in São Paulo. She traveled to the United States in October 2022 and collected the coronavirus detection test the following month.
The city hall reported, in a note, that the patient had only mild symptoms and did not need hospitalization. Her husband and two children also completed home isolation, although they did not show symptoms.
The professor of the Department of Collective Health at the University of Brasília (DSC/Faculdade UnB Ceilândia), Wildo Navegantes de Araújo, believes that the virus is already circulating in the country. “When a laboratory detects the presence of a virus, it has probably already been in circulation for some time. It could be in other Brazilian territories”, he evaluates.
Araújo claims that the risk of a new wave is linked to the behavior of the population. “The emergence of new subvariants by itself should not trigger new waves. What influences is human behavior. If we position ourselves to do our part, completing the vaccination scheme and, whenever possible, respecting the use of masks, we will avoid more serious cases, with the risk of death, ”he says.
The specialist assesses that the return to “normal life”, with meetings at the end of the year festivities, vacations, followed by back to school and Carnival, can contribute to the transmission of the new subvariant in the country.
Copy of 3 Cards_Galeria_de_Fotos (14)Faced with the pandemic scenario and the expansion of the booster dose, some people are still wondering about the importance of the third dose of the vaccine against Covid-19stock
*** Vaccination of children against Covid-19The booster dose must be administered at least four months after the individual completes the initial vaccination schedule. The extra application serves to increase the amount of memory cells and further strengthen the antibodies they produce.Rafaela Felicciano/Metropolises
***Influenza flu vaccinationExperts point out that one of the main measures provided by the booster dose is the expansion of the immune response. The third dose causes an increase in the amount of antibodies circulating in the body, which reduces the chance of the immunized person getting sick.Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil
***DF starts immunizing 12-year-olds and reinforces the vaccine for 80-year-oldsFor the elderly and immunosuppressed, the booster dose increases the effectiveness of immunization, since these groups do not develop an adequate immune responseHugo Barreto/Metropolises
***adult vaccineAnother important measure is to reduce the chance of infection in case of new variants. The antibody promoted by the vaccine is directed to the strain that gave rise to the formula and, in this process, people also produce antibodies that have diversity. The greater the reach of the proteins that defend the organism, the greater the probability that some will bind to the new variantWestend61/GettyImages
*** Vaccine against covid _ Coronavac _ butantanThe director of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations (SBIM) and member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the National Immunization Program of the Ministry of Health, Renato Kfouri says that the mixture of vaccines from different laboratories is a Rafaela Felicciano/Metropolises
***covid vaccine Increase in the number of covid-19 and Influenza cases in Brazil 6A study conducted by the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom showed that people who received two doses of AstraZeneca had a 30-fold increase in antibody levels after a Moderna booster, and a 25-fold increase with a booster. pfizerArthur Menescal/Metrópoles Special
***Ticuna village _ indigenous people are vaccinated against covid-19 in the AmazonReactions to the booster dose are similar to the previous two doses. Mild to moderate symptoms such as excessive tiredness and pain at the injection site are expected. However, there are also reports of symptoms that include local redness or swelling, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever or nausea.Rafaela Felicciano/Metropolises
***With low demand, vaccination against H1N1 in Goiânia focuses on iIt is worth noting that the use of three doses has the main objective of reducing the number of severe cases and the number of hospitalizations due to Covid-19.Vinícius Schmidt/Metrópoles
0
Monitoring
Since the peak of the Omicron variant in February 2022, the amount of shared virus sequences has dropped by more than 90% worldwide and the number of countries sharing this information has been reduced to two-thirds, according to the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, this week.
Testing and sequencing are key to understanding the behavior of the virus in the population and tracking the emergence of new variants or strains.
“Monitoring is the way we have to detect the emergence of a new variant of concern, contributing to managers’ decision-making not being late and causing more complex phenomena”, explains the UnB professor specializing in Collective Health.
Get news from metropolises on your Telegram and stay on top of everything! Just access the channel: https://t.me/metropolesurgente.
