Local health officials tracking new COVID omicron variant believed to be more contagious

A new year has brought concerns about a new COVID-19 variant.

The XBB.1.5 variant is an offshoot of the omicron variant and is believed to be five times as contagious.

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The XBB.1.5 variant now makes up more than 40% of coronavirus cases in the US, according to the CDC. In parts of the northeast, like New York, it’s believed to make up more than 70% of the cases.

Dr. Pavitra Roychoudhury, a virologist with UW Medicine, believes Washington will also see a surge in the new variant.

“Because of the amount of travel and mixing that’s been happening over the last several months, I wouldn’t be surprised if it catches up here as well. And this has happened in previous waves where we see a particular variant take off in one part of the country, and then soon after, it catches up elsewhere,” said Dr. Roychoudhury.

Though she adds that it will be difficult to know the exact case number because so many people now rely on at-home testing, and not everyone reports their positive test results to the state.

She says that hospitalization rates will be the most accurate metric to determine the impact of XBB. 1.5.

Hospitals across the nation have already seen a rise in COVID-related hospitalizations in recent weeks.

The King County Health Department says hospitalizations have been relatively steady for the past month, but it’s something their department will continue to monitor.

In a statement to KIRO 7, the department writes, “We are concerned about the potential for XBB1.5 to lead to a surge, and although at this point, we can’t be sure how severe that might be, we do not expect anything as severe as what we experienced last winter during the Omicron surge.”

However, the department does have some concerns about the new variant, writing, “XBB1.5 is also concerning because it is not susceptible to monoclonal antibody treatments, although the antiviral drug Paxlovid remains effective and is important for those who are eligible and do develop COVID-19.”

Some health experts at Columbia University have warned that vaccine boosters aren’t as effective against XBB.1.5 as they were against the original omicron variant. Though many health officials have stated that the XBB.1.5  variant it too new to make a definite determination and continue to recommend available boosters to reduce the risk of hospitalization.

Dr. Roychoudhury said while the new variant poses some concerns, she doesn’t want to instill a sense of panic, telling KIRO 7 that with masks, vaccines and information, the public is in a much better position than we were in 2020.

“I totally get the exhaustion, and I totally get the confusion that comes from tracking all these variants that have increasingly complicated alphanumeric names. But we’re in a really different place from the panic of 2020,” said Dr. Roychoudhury. “I think we should be glad that we have the ability to track that this variant even is out there. That we’re able to monitor it over time. And we’re able to provide that sort of warning that, ‘Hey, this is a this is a variant to watch out for.’”

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