Written By: Satata Karmakar | Updated : January 19, 2023 12:04 PM IST
This One COVID Variant Is 'Most Likely' To Rule Over United States: Has It Already Entered India?
In light of the current surge in China's daily COVID cases, it is accurate to say that the 'pandemic is not over yet, and it is here to stay'. In the last couple of weeks, several countries including China, the United States, and Japan have seen a massive jump in their daily COVID cases, mostly being triggered by new COVID variants of the highly mutated Omicron strain. Omicron is the most transmissible family member of the COVID virus that comes with 42 extra mutations in its spike protein. These mutations not only make the variant more transmissible but also allows it to bind better with the cells present in the human body. What makes this variant most concerning is its ability to evade vaccine-induced immunity or immunity that one has gained from past COVID infection.
Now, in the list of the worst-hit nations, the United States stands second after China. The country has seen a massive jump in its daily infection rate in the last month. The current surge in cases has been carried mostly by the XBB.1.5 variant which has swept through the USA. But there are more variants that are responsible for the current spike in the US. In this article, we will take a close look at all those variants that are triggering a massive 'winter COVID wave' in the USA.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that almost 43 per cent of all the COVID cases that are being registered in the US are associated with the XBB.1.5 Omicron variant. According to the experts, the highly transmitted XBB.1.5 variant is likely to 'take over' the UK in the upcoming few weeks.
In a statement, the WHO's COVID-19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove said that XBB.1.5 is "the most transmissible sub-variant which has been detected yet". The global health body has also urged countries to brace for the XBB.1.5 outbreak as the nature of the variant is more ferocious than any other strains that are circulating right now.
In a study, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene stated that the XBB.1.5 variant is dangerous in nature as it has been infecting mostly those who are fully vaccinated. "The study clearly shows that the XBB. 15 variant is most likely to infect people who have been vaccinated or already had COVID-19," one of the study authors stated.
India had confirmed its first case of Omicron's XBB. 1.5 in Gujarat in December 2022. In a report issued by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), it was stated that currently, India has 8 confirmed cases of the XBB.1.5 omicron variant. Out of these, 1 case was registered from Uttarakhand, 3 cases were found in Gujarat, 1 each in Karnataka, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan.
India has always been hit by almost all the COVID variants. Be it Delta or Omicron, India has seen it all. In the last two and a half years, the country has seen three back-to-back COVID waves, mostly triggered by new variants. The most ferocious one among all was the Delta variant that triggered the second and worst COVID wave in the country. However, if we talk about the third wave, it is evidently proven that India was well-prepared after the second wave to tackle any further COVID outbreaks.
If we talk about the current preparation in India for any upcoming COVID wave, it can be said that the country has been bracing well. The government has implemented strict COVID rules in the states that are at high-risk. Many state governments have made wearing masks, following social distancing, and getting vaccinated compulsory for the people. However, if we talk about what extra can be done here to stay safe from any future second wave in India, then it can be said that the country needs to make strict rules at the international airports so that no passengers can bring any new variants in the country. Apart from this, states should prepare their hospitals -- with the proper number of ICU beds, and medical equipment, and most importantly the focus should also be on the medicines that are needed to treat a COVID patient. These are important since the country saw how hospitals were running out of necessary ICU equipment, hospital beds, and oxygen cylinders in the second wave.
