There is a new version of Omicron called XBB.
It is spreading quickly in Singapore and virus-watchers are concerned it could spread to the US.
BQ. 1.1 is emerging as well. Prepare for more infections this winter according to experts.
Wall Street analysts and reporters are worried about another "nightmare" variant on the way as Halloween approaches.
There is a new variant called XBB that is triggering a new wave of infections and hospitalizations in some south Asian countries.
XBB is one of many more-immune evasive Omicron subvariants on the rise around the world.
According to a memo, XBB has the most significant immune evasion properties.
How worried should we be about this new version of the virus, given that we've already seen a number of different versions of it?
We should expect more infections this fall and winter according to experts. There are a few things you can do to prepare for the battle.
The combination of two other BA.2 Omicron subvariants is called XBB.
John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley, told the San Francisco Chronicle that XBB is trying to evade the way we get immunity from vaccines and previous infections.
It remains to be seen if XBB will be one of the main options for US COVID infections this winter.
It isn't making a difference on the radar of US virus watchers. The BA.5 subvariant may turn out to be more of a concern for Americans than it is for Europeans.
We might be in for a tight race between BQ. 1.1 and XBB over the next few months according to Professor Gerstung. The dominant version of COVID in the US is called BA.5.
Local trends suggest that the XBB version of the virus may be less dangerous than the BA.5 version, with a 30% lower risk of hospitalization.
Monoclonal antibodies are a treatment used for COVID patients.
"It's really important for those at the highest risk, including people 50 and over, and people who are immune compromised, to get boosted right away if they haven't already been this fall."
The boost from Pfizer and Moderna is related to XBB.
Gounder said that existing vaccines should protect against severe disease. She said she expects a lot of breakthrough infections in the coming winter months, whether that's with XBB or some other new variant.
Less than 5% of Americans have gotten an updated booster so far this fall, so there is room for improvement.
She said high-quality masks will be important for reducing transmission in indoor public spaces.
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