COVID NEW VARIANT: WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT THE NEW STRAIN OF CORONAVIRUS IN 2023?

The rise in COVID-19 cases in China has put everyone, including India, on edge. People have learned that this pandemic is far from over. Just as many countries tried returning to pre-COVID normalcy and made optimistic proclamations of the pandemic being over, new variants are slowly rearing their ugly heads.

Early 2023 saw the rise of an Omicron subvariant known as XBB.1.5, one of the most transmissible strains. The rise in cases is attributed to more people spending time indoors and attending holiday gatherings, and fewer individuals are wearing masks and social distancing. Many experts are working towards understanding Omicron variants like XBB.1.5, BQ 1.1. and BA.5 that are currently circulating along with monitoring over 300 sub-variants of Omicron that can be found worldwide.

Omicron: The variant with different symptoms

Initially found in South Africa and Botswana in November 2021, this strain became prominent worldwide by late December 2021. With more people celebrating New Year, this variant spread more quickly than previously known strains. It was then that both CDC and WHO classified Omicron as a 'variant of concern'. Although early reports showed mild cases, they also displayed symptoms not previously associated with COVID-19. 

While most patients did not show any loss of smell or taste, they seemed to display severe fatigue. Many also developed severe diseases that led to hospitalization and even death. This is one of the main reasons medical practitioners and experts still express concern about these disease variants.

What do people need to know about the latest variant?

The more the virus multiplies, the more it mutates, creating a new variant. While most variants do not confer any advantage and don’t allow the mutation to spread further, few do. The main question here is whether these new variants can cause more severe diseases and are immune-invasive, which means they can undercut the protection of existing vaccines.

XBB.1.5 has acquired mutations that have made it more transmissible, giving it the evolutionary ability to replace its predecessors and become a dominant strain. The good news is that this strain does not cause any severe disease and shows milder illness compared to some other variants like Delta. However, Omicron has also shown to be more immune evasive than other variants, although the vaccine offers more protection against these strains. This means it will probably protect individuals with bivalent vaccine boosters against severe illnesses.

Can current tests pick up these new variants?

While PCR tests pick up new variants of COVID-19, experts have no reason to believe it won’t be picked up on a rapid home antigen test. People exposed to those with COVID-19 are advised to get tested. Even if the test does not show the exact variant of COVID, it can still detect the presence of the virus.

Do people need to worry about this variant?

The answer to this question varies from person to person. If an individual is young and healthy, they are unlikely to get a severe illness due to COVID-19. Even those who have recently had a bout with the disease can rest assured that they are immune to it for a few months at least.

Conversely, the elderly and those already suffering from underlying medical conditions need to be more careful as they are at higher risk of getting severely affected by this variant.

What kind of renewed responses does the situation need?

The best way to combat this variant is to renew the vaccination drives making sure every citizen of the country is vaccinated. Individuals should also prefer outdoor activities over indoor ones. Washing hands often, avoiding contact with others, and wearing masks in public are a few other things that can help. Individuals who are sick or displaying symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home as far as possible so that the disease doesn’t spread too much.

Is this the last variant of COVID-19?

The development of new variants is a natural progression of COVID-19, and it shouldn’t be surprising. People are not sure whether there will be any new variants in the near future. However, these variations will evolve and may disappear at one point, and then everyone will know what the last variant of COVID-19 was; until then, everyone needs to be vigilant and careful.