A new Omicron variant is hitting the U.S. One expert expects Windsor to see an impact – CBC

Subvariant known as XBB.1.5 and has already hit the U.S. hard

Jan 04, 2023

A new variant of COVID-19 is gaining ground in the United States, and one expert says Windsor, Ont., could see an impact.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 40 per cent of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are being caused by the new Omicron subvariant, known as XBB.1.5.

“It’s part of the long line of variants that are emerging from the Omicron wave that really exploded at the beginning of last year,” said Dr. Fahad Razak, the former director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.

“XBB.1.5 is the latest. The reason people are paying attention to it is it seems to be expanding and it’s in how common it is in the United States.”

Information about the new subvariant is limited, with Razak saying that its infectiousness is unknown and that there is nothing to suggest that it presents more of a risk in terms of severity.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/omicron-subvariant-covid-windsor-1.6702504