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☆ FDA withdraws Covid antibody treatment Evusheld because it's not effective against 93% of subvariants
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The FDA pulled Evusheld from the market because it is not effective against more than 90% of the Covid subvariants that are currently circulating in the U.S. People with compromised immune systems, such as cancer chemotherapy and organ-transplant patients, are some of the groups most vulnerable to severe disease from Covid. More than 7 million adults in the U.S. have a compromised immune system. He said lawmakers' failure to pass additional Covid funding means there isn't money to invest in new antibodies. President Joe Biden told people with compromised immune systems to consult with a doctor.

☆ CDC urges people with weak immune systems to take extra precautions after Covid subvariants knock out Evusheld
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday urged people with weak immune systems to take extra precautions to avoid Covid after the dominant omicron subvariants knocked out a key antibody treatment. The guidance comes after the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday pulled its authorization of Evusheld, a combination antibody injection that people with weak immune systems took as an additional layer of protection to prevent Covid infection. The FDA pulled Evusheld because it is not effective against 95% of the omicron subvariants circulating in the U.S. People with weak immune systems include cancer patients who are on chemotherapy, organ transplant patients who are taking medication for their transplant, people with advanced HIV infection, and those born with immune deficiencies. Some 7 million adults in the U.S. have a condition, like cancer, that compromises their immune system, according to the CDC.

☆ Roche launches new test to detect fast spreading Omicron sub-variant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ZURICH, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Roche (ROG.S) has launched a new PCR test to detect a fast-spreading sub-variant of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday. The new test specifically targets the XBB.1.5 Omicron variant and will help researchers closely track the virus’s lineage and provide insights into the epidemiology and impact it has on public health, the company added. The XBB.1.5 variant is prevalent in the United States and is quickly spreading to other countries, Roche said. "Being able to differentiate emerging variants and understand their similarities and mutations provides a basis for experts to make predictions about their spread and respond with appropriate treatment strategies," Roche said. Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Noele IllienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Updated Covid boosters cut the infection risk from XBB.1.5 subvariant by half, CDC finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Berkeley-Lovelace-Jr.Jpg | Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The updated Covid boosters reduce the risk of Covid infection from the predominant omicron subvariant by nearly half, according to early data published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings are “quite reassuring,” Dr. Brendan Jackson, the head of the CDC’s Covid response, said on a call with reporters Wednesday. As of last Wednesday, only about 15% of people in the U.S. had received an updated booster, according to CDC data. People who were vaccinated but had not received the updated booster were compared to those who got the updated booster in the previous two to three months. People who got the updated boosters are probably "much more likely to wear masks indoors or restrain their travel or not go to indoor restaurants," he said.

☆ Omicron booster shots provide some protection against mild illness from Covid XBB subvariants, CDC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The CDC study published Wednesday provides the first estimate of the omicron booster shots' real-world effectiveness against the XBB family of subvariants. Some scientists have warned the XBB subvariants could cause another Covid wave because they are so good at evading the antibodies that block infections. The study compared people who received the new booster with those who received between two and four doses of the original vaccine. People who only received the original shots generally got their last dose about 13 months ago. But the CDC study found that the omicron boosters provide about as much protection against the XBB family as they do against the BA.5 subvariant and its descendants such as BQ.1 and BQ.1.1.

"Today we have additional evidence to show that these updated vaccines are protecting people against the latest COVID-19 variants," Dr. Brendan Jackson, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 response, told reporters in a briefing. Released last fall, the updated boosters target the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which are no longer dominant. It showed that the updated vaccine helped prevent illness in roughly half of the people who had previously received two to four doses of the original COVID-19 vaccine, CDC said. The CDC said the updated vaccine worked similarly against BA.5-related infections and XBB/XBB.1.5-related infections. Given the findings, the CDC urged people to stay up to date on their recommended COVID-19 vaccines.

☆ U.S. Covid-19 Pandemic Enters Fourth Year With Hospitalizations on the Decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Jon Kamp | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Three years after health authorities announced the first known Covid-19 case in the U.S., the virus behind the disease remains persistent but thus far hasn’t triggered the severity of the waves seen in prior winters. A recent climb in hospitalizations and Covid-19 wastewater readings—two key metrics for spotting trends—appears to have stalled following the quick rise of the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant. The U.S. was gripped in significantly more deadly waves at this point in the last two winters, though currently there are still hundreds of deaths reported each day.

☆ Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 accounts for nearly half of U.S. COVID cases- CDC
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 20 (Reuters) - The fast-spreading Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 accounted for nearly half of the COVID-19 cases in the United States, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed on Friday. It is estimated to have accounted for 49.1% of COVID cases in the country in the week ended Jan. 21, compared with 37.2% estimated last week. It is an offshoot of XBB, a combination of two other Omicron sub-variants, which was first detected in October. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted a few weeks ago that XBB.1.5 has been on the rise globally and identified in over 25 countries. read moreReporting by Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 accounts for 43% of U.S. COVID cases - CDC
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 13 (Reuters) - The fast-spreading Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is estimated to account for 43% of the COVID-19 cases in the United States for the week ended Jan. 14, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed on Friday. The subvariant accounted for about 30% of cases in the first week of January, higher than the 27.6% the CDC estimated last week. The World Health Organization (WHO) said earlier this week XBB.1.5 may spur more COVID-19 cases based on genetic characteristics and early growth rate estimates. The rise in the new variant correlated with an uptick in COVID-19 cases in United States over the last six weeks. Increased prevalence of XBB.1.5 cases has eclipsed the previously dominant Omicron subvariant BQ.1.1 and BQ.1, which were offshoots of BA.5.

☆ WHO says coronavirus variant XBB.1.5 may be driving cases
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

GENEVA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that the XBB.1.5 Omicron sub-variant of COVID-19 may be spurring more cases. "Based on its genetic characteristics and early growth rate estimates, XBB.1.5 may contribute to increases incase incidence," the WHO said after a Jan. 5 technical meeting. However, it said that it had only "low confidence" in the assessment as data was mostly coming from just one country, the United States, which has provided more than 80% of sequences. Reporting by Emma FargeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Omicron XBB.1.5 does not have mutations known to make people sicker, WHO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant does not have any mutations known to make people sicker when they catch the virus, according to a World Health Organization risk assessment published Wednesday. The WHO said XBB.1.5 is one of the Covid subvariants that is most adept at dodging immunity from vaccination or infection. It is just as immune evasive as another subvariant in its family, XBB.1, which was the Covid variant that best dodged antibodies that block infections. The global health organization said XBB.1.5 has a growth advantage in the U.S., particularly in the Northeast, where it has rapidly become dominant. The organization said it needs more data on how fast XBB.1.5 is spreading in other countries.

☆ Biden administration extends Covid public health emergency as highly infectious omicron XBB.1.5 spreads
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Eduardo Munoz | ReutersThe Biden administration has extended the Covid-19 public health emergency until April as a highly transmissible omicron subvariant stokes concern that the U.S. may face another wave of hospitalizations from the disease this winter. The U.S. has renewed the Covid public health emergency every 90 days since the Trump administration first issued the declaration in January 2020.watch nowThe emergency declaration has had a vast impact on the U.S. health-care system over the past three years. It has protected public health insurance coverage for millions, provided hospitals with greater flexibility to respond to patient surges and expanded telehealth. Once U.S. officials decide to end the public health emergency, hospitals will lose flexibility in how they deploy staff, add beds and care for patients when there's a surge in admissions. Congress banned states from kicking people off the program for the duration of the public health emergency.

GENEVA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said it is working with China to manage the risks of COVID-19 surging again as people travel for Lunar New Year celebrations but the country's response continues to be challenged by a lack of data. COVID-19 is spreading unchecked in China after the country lifted its zero-COVID policy in December, but the WHO said it still does not have enough information from China to make a full assessment of the dangers of the surge. That is also an issue in working with China on how to mitigate the risks of travel ahead of the Lunar New Year public holiday, which officially runs from Jan. 21, the WHO said. The WHO also said China is still heavily underreporting deaths from COVID-19, although it is now providing more information on its outbreak. "There are some very important information gaps that we are working with China to fill," said COVID-19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove.

☆ Jimmy Fallon jokes that the new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 sounds like Elon Musk's son's name
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jimmy Fallon joked that the new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 sounded like Elon Musk's son's name. Fallon appeared to be referring to the name of Musk's son, X Æ A-Xii. He appeared to be referring to the name of Musk's son, X Æ A-Xii. Musk's son, X Æ A-Xii, was born in 2020. As Insider previously reported, the couple appeared to have changed the spelling of the baby's name from X Æ A-12 to X Æ A-Xii to comply with California state law.

☆ WHO backs mask-wearing on long flights given rapid US spread of Omicron variant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Countries should consider recommending passengers wear masks on long haul flights to counter the latest Omicron subvariant of COVID-19 given its rapid spread in the United States, World Health Organisation officials said on Tuesday. In Europe, the XBB.1.5 subvariant is being detected in small but growing numbers, WHO/Europe officials said in a press briefing. That did not mean the agency recommends the testing of passengers coming from the United States at this stage, she added. XBB.1.5 is yet another descendant of Omicron, the most contagious variant of the virus causing COVID-19 that is now globally dominant. It is an offshoot of XBB, first detected in October, which is itself a recombinant of two other Omicron sub-variants.

☆ Omicron COVID booster cuts hospitalization in over 65s, Israeli study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The study by researchers from healthcare provider Clalit, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Sapir College has not yet been peer reviewed. The study was carried out from the end of September until mid-December and looked at 622,701 people aged 65 and over who were eligible for the bivalent booster. "Hospitalization due to Covid-19 occurred in 6 bivalent recipients and 297 participants who did not" receive it, the study said. "Participants who received the bivalent vaccine had lower hospitalization and mortality rates due to Covid-19 than non-recipients up to 70 days after vaccination." While the bivalent vaccine targets the original strain and its BA.4/BA.5 Omicron subvariant, scientists have been closely watching another Omicron subvariant, XBB.1.5, which has been rapidly spreading in the United States.

☆ China's big consumer market isn't rebounding to pre-pandemic levels just yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

For the past six months, revenue had dropped to 30% of typical levels, Chong said. The travel season for China's big holiday runs this year from around Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. That's twice what it was last year, and 70% of 2019 levels, China's Ministry of Transport said Friday. It noted most of the trips will likely be for visiting family, while just 10% will be for leisure or business travel. By that time, people will have been able to process their passport applications, while the number of international flights may have recovered to 50% or 60% of 2019 levels, Chen said.

☆ New Covid-19 Subvariant, XBB.1.5, Takes Over in Parts of U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Jon Kamp | Brianna Abbott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A new offshoot of the Covid-19 Omicron variant is taking over in parts of the U.S., especially in the Northeast, amid signs of rising infection numbers after the winter holidays. Virus experts and doctors say a combination of holiday gatherings and the arrival of the XBB.1.5 subvariant is causing more Covid-19 infections, as reflected in rising hospitalization numbers and a recent climb in wastewater virus levels.

☆ New Covid-19 Subvariant, XBB. 1.5, Takes Over in Parts of U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Jon Kamp | Brianna Abbott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A new offshoot of the Covid-19 Omicron variant is taking over in parts of the U.S., especially in the Northeast, amid signs of rising infection numbers after the winter holidays. Virus experts and doctors say a combination of holiday gatherings and the arrival of the XBB. 1.5 subvariant is causing more Covid-19 infections, as reflected in rising hospitalization numbers and a recent climb in wastewater virus levels.

☆ New Covid-19 Subvariant, XBB. 1.5, Rises Quickly in Parts of U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Jon Kamp | Brianna Abbott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Passengers disembarking from international flights took anonymous Covid-19 tests for study purposes at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Wednesday. A new offshoot of the Covid-19 Omicron variant is quickly taking over in parts of the U.S., especially in the Northeast, amid signs of rising infection numbers after the winter holidays. Virus experts and doctors say a combination of holiday gatherings and the arrival of the XBB. 1.5 subvariant is causing more Covid-19 infections, as reflected in rising hospitalization numbers and a recent climb in wastewater virus levels.

☆ Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 accounts for 27.6% of U.S. COVID cases - CDC
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 6 (Reuters) - The Omicron subvariant, XBB.1.5, is estimated to account for 27.6% of COVID-19 cases in the United States for the week ending Jan. 7, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed on Friday. The CDC revised its estimate for the week ended Dec. 31 to say XBB.1.5 made up 18.3% of cases, not about 40% of cases. The agency did not immediately respond to a Reuters request seeking details about the change in estimated data. The World Health Organization's senior epidemiologist, Maria Van Kerkhove, earlier this week said XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible Omicron sub-variant that has been detected so far. Reporting by Leroy Leo and Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Omicron XBB.1.5 is rising in U.S. though revised CDC data shows slower increase than previously reported
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

XBB.1.5 made up 27.6% of sequenced Covid cases nationally for the week ending Jan. 7 compared with 18.3% for the week end Dec. 31. The CDC previously reported that XBB.1.5 made up about 41% of sequenced cases for the week ending Dec. 31, more than any other variant. Although the agency has revised its estimate downward, XBB.1.5 remains the only omicron subvariant showing significant growth in the U.S. right now. U.S. health officials should have more data soon on how much protection the omicron boosters provide against XBB.1.5., Jha said. Weekly Covid cases have increased by about 16% to 470,699 over the past week, according to CDC data.

☆ German health minister voices concern over new COVID variant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Germany's health minister has expressed concern over a new COVID-19 subvariant linked to growing hospitalisations in the northeastern United States, adding that Berlin was watching the situation closely. As much of the world looks to rising COVID cases in China, infectious disease experts have also been increasingly worried about the highly contagious Omicron XBB.1.5, which made up more than 40% of U.S. cases, official data showed last week. "Hopefully we get through the winter before such a variant can spread among us," the minister, Karl Lauterbach, wrote on Twitter late on Wednesday. "We are monitoring whether, and to what extent, XBB.1.5 occurs in Germany." Writing by Rachel More; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant is the most transmissible version of Covid yet, WHO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant that's currently dominating the U.S. is the most contagious version of Covid-19 yet, but it doesn't appear to make people sicker, according to the World Health Organization. "It is the most transmissible subvariant that has been detected yet," Van Kerkhove told reporters during a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday. It has been detected in 29 countries so far but it could be even more widespread, Van Kerkhove said. The WHO's advisory group that tracks Covid variants is conducting a risk assessment on XBB.1.5 that it will publish in the coming days, she said. "The more this virus circulates the more opportunities it will have to change," Van Kerkhove said.

☆ New Covid variant XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible subvariant that has been detected yet, says WHO
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNew Covid variant XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible subvariant that has been detected yet, says WHOCNBC's Meg Tirrell joins 'The Exchange' to repot on China's covid cases, the omicron variant currently spreading and what it could mean for both China and global markets.

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