WHO issued a risk assessment saying that the XBB.1.5 variant may cause an increase in the infection rate
Chinanews.com, January 12 (Xinhua) According to news from the United Nations website, the WHO released its first risk assessment on the 11th for the sublineage XBB.
The assessment pointed out that from October 22, 2022 to the present, the WHO has received a total of 5,288 XBB.1.5 virus gene sequencing reports from 38 countries and regions, of which 82.2% came from the United States.
The assessment showed that this sub-lineage may have contributed to the increased infection rate based on the genetic characteristics of XBB.1.5 and estimates of the growth rate of its early transmission.
The WHO also stated that the assessment of the severity of XBB.1.5 is still in progress, and no known mutations that may change the severity of the disease have been found in this sub-lineage.