The proportion of XBB.1.5 cases in Texas seems to be doubling every two weeks — a rate that public health officials in the state have never seen.
The latest COVID-19 omicron subvariant, known as XBB.1.5, is more transmissible than previous strains of the virus and is spreading quickly across the country, said Dr. Anita Kurian, deputy director of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. But there is no evidence to suggest this latest strain makes people any sicker than previous strains, she said.SAN ANTONIO — The latest omicron subvariant of the coronavirus — known as XBB.1.
“If it keeps up this pace, it will not be surprising if this becomes the dominant subvariant in the coming weeks,” Kurian said Monday. “It certainly has a higher capacity of binding more tightly to the cells, which is why it’s highly infectious and more transmissible.” A small surveillance program that Metro Health runs in collaboration with UT Health has so far turned up only cases of the omicron subvariant XBB locally — but none of XBB.1.5, Kurian said.
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