More than 70 percent of cases in the Northeast are believed to be XBB.1.5. The omicron variant of covid-19 has spun off into dozens of immune-dodging subvariants. “Things like boosters are always beneficial,” said Kristian Andersen, a professor in the department of immunology and microbiology who tracks coronavirus variants at the Scripps Research Institute. “XBB.1.5 is just sort of the latest variant in what is going to be a continual process of the virus evolving,” Bloom said. The share of those patients who received intensive care or were placed on ventilators remained stable after the rise of XBB.1.5 in early December.

Source: Wall Street Journal January 08, 2023 11:01 UTC