BREAKING! Singapore Is Under Attack By The New SARS-CoV-2 XBB Recombinant Variant With COVID-19 Infections And Hospitalizations Rising. Thailand Could Be Next!

UPDATES: 10th Novermber 2022

Singapore Health Authorities have informed media in Singapore that the local data and reports from hospitals show that the XBB variant does not cause any disease severity and that the current infections and hospitalization rates in Singapore are not rising exponentially and that as of Tuesday, there are only 11 Covid-19 patients under intensive care and 50 needing oxygen support, just "slightly higher" than the level observed in the past few months.

The Singapore authorities clarified that In comparison, at the peaks of the previous Delta and Omicron infection waves, these numbers were  such that 171 patients under intensive care and 308 who need oxygen aid, while at the peak of the Omicron wave, there were 54 patients in intensive care units and 242 who need oxygen support.

The Singapore health officials said the increase in hospitalised cases is in line with the overall increase in cases.

Currently there are only 490 hospitalised cases compared to 1,600 at the peak of the Delta wave and about 800 at the peak of the Omicron wave.

The health authorities also said that the emergency departments at hospitals, however, "continue to be very busy".
 
Everyone should refrain from assuming the COVID-19 situation in Singapore is bad.

However, all residing in Singapore are advised to get their vaccination and booster updates as soon as possible to protect themselves against the slight surge in COVID-19 cases.



COVID-19 measures in Singapore are being relaxed including the announcement a couple of days ago that all COVID-19 vaccination-differentiated measures will be lifted from Oct 10, with restrictions no longer in place for dining in, nightlife establishments and events with more than 500 participants.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-vaccination-differentiated-measures-lifted-oct-10-dining-nightlife-events-2994596
 

Graph showing XBB growth advantage over BA.2.3.20 in Singapore
Credit: https://twitter.com/JosetteSchoenma

Some of the moves being undertaken are purely for economic reasons as the authorities are trying to boost their tourism and MICE industry and also to restore the pre-pandemic economic activity of the city state.
 
The health authorities keep emphasizing that the country has learned to live with COVID-19 and majority of Singaporeans can even be seen roaming the streets, malls and hawker centers unmasked.
 
Some Singaporeans are totally oblivious of what is really happening with regards to the COVID-19 situation in their own country let alone about what is developing in the rest of the world.
 
Singaporeans are not even aware of the possible threats of the worrisome emerging Omicron sub-lineages and recombinant strains and little do they even know some of the newer sub-lineages could have actually emerged from their own country where vaccination and booster rates are among the highest in the world, or imported from elsewhere.
https: //cov-spectrum.org/collections/24
 
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/sars-cov-2-presents-its-fall-and-winter-2022-variant-collections-featuring-ba2-75-2,-bq-1-1,-bw-1,-xbb,-bu-1,-br-2,-bm-1-1-1,-ca-1,-bj-1-and-bn-1
 
Despite claims that COVID-19 in the country is under control, doctors on conditions of anonymity in some hospitals across the country are reporting that COVID-19 cases seem to be going up and in a few cases, disease severity is becoming an occurrence in a few of the aged who are even fully vaccinated. This could be due to the fact that the new recombinant XBB variant could cause breakthrough infections.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.09.15.507787v3

However, the common Singaporean on the street is assuming that COVID-19 is gone or that it is now just endemic and mild! SARS-CoV-2 infections are however still a threat especially to those who are in the vulnerable groups ie the old, the young, the obese, those who are immunocompromised and also with those with existing comorbidities.
 
Alarmingly, new data shows that the new recombinant SARS-CoV-2 XBB variant is starting to spread increasingly in Singapore.
https://twitter.com/JosetteSchoenma/status/1579751070217408513

https://www.regenhealthsolutions.info/2022/10/11/xbb-sars-cov-2-variant-detected-in-singapore-and-hong-kong-is-significantly-more-immune-evasive-than-ba-2-75-2-and-bq-1-1/

XBB is a BM.1.1.1/BJ.1 recombinant. BM.1.1.1 is a BA.2.75 sub-lineage.
https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/World/AllSamples/Past6M/variants?nextcladePangoLineage=XBB*
 
https://github.com/cov-lineages/pango-designation/issues/1058
 
https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/World/AllSamples/Past6M/variants?aaMutations=S%3AV83A%2CE%3AT11A%2CS%3AG183E%2CS%3AF486S%2CS%3AF490S
 
BJ.1 is also known as BA.2.10.1.1 variant is a very highly immune evasive variant.
 
It has 13 spike mutations and also the M_D3Y and N_T282I mutations)
https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/World/AllSamples/Past6M/variants?nextcladePangoLineage=BJ.1*
 
The BM.1.1.1 or BA.2.75.3.1.1.1 variant is yet another worrisome variant that is highly immune evasive with suspected changes in pathogenesis.
 
The BM.1.1.1 has a additional spike mutation S:490S and is speculated that its immune evasiveness is even stronger than the BA.2.75 lineage it originated from!
https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/World/AllSamples/Past6M/variants?nextcladePangoLineage=BM.1.1.1*
 
The XBB variant is a recombinant variant of both these sub-lineages and is believed to be the most immune-evasive strain known so far. None of the current monoclonal therapeutics are able to work on it including Evusheld and Bebtelovimab.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.09.15.507787v3

The same study above also finds that most of the current vaccines might not offer protection against the newer emerging varianst including the XBB variant. However that should not the reason for anyone to not get vaccinated or boostered timely. Everyone should ensure that they are fully vaccinated and boostered especially with the various new variants around.
 
Top Chinese virological researcher, Professor Dr Yunlong Cao from Peking University has already warned that the XBB is displaying the same lethalness as the SARS-CoV-1 strain!
https://twitter.com/yunlong_cao
 
It is being claimed that a few of the new COVID-19 cases being seen around world that involves the various new emerging variants includes cases with confirmed infections displaying mild-moderate symptoms for the first few days before deteriorating very fast in a matter of hours and dying from organ failures, internal bleeding sepsis and also heart failures!(Studies needed to verify this)


 
Prominent medical researcher and editor-in-chief of Medscape has even warned about the start of the new XBB surge in Singapore based on data from GISAID and CoV-Spectrum. https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1578759773146607617
 
Some researchers from countries like Bangladesh where the XBB is also predominant claim that in some cases, it is not only causing extreme hyper-coagulability but might also have a tropism for the gastrointestinal tract, causing intestinal ischemia and sepsis in some, often with rapid fatal outcomes! (more studies pending to verify this) However, this does not occur in everyone.
 
It is becoming more concerning that some who are fully vaccinated and have even received the new bivalent shots might not be fully protected against the new XBB variant. However everyone should make sure that they are updated with their vaccine shots as timely as possible.https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.09.15.507787v3
 
Not only Singaporeans but people elsewhere in South-East Asia should be aware of the threat that the XBB recombinant variant and other emerging variants could cause and to start taking their own preventive measures.


 
It is expected that hospitalization rates and death rates could maybe rise in Singapore in coming weeks. But more worrisome is that because of the relaxation for travel rules and health screenings and the increasing number of Singaporeans visiting Thailand and Thais doing short ‘working’ stints in Singapore, Thailand is likely to become the XBB variant hub if nothing is done soon and preventive measures are taken.


 
Thailand Medical News urges all individuals that irrespective of whatever various people or mainstream media might tell you along with COVID-19 minimizers and denialists, please keep on practicing all necessary preventive measures including masking, hand washing, avoiding crowded places, improving better indoor air ventilation and disinfection and taking care of one’s health with the intake of proper supplements and herbs. The coming weeks and months could be be bad in many countries and many will not even realize what hit them!



Other experts have also confirmed that Singapore is currently the XBB hotspot!
https://twitter.com/TWenseleers/status/1578491777912184833

https://twitter.com/RajlabN/status/1578797710269816832

For more updates on the SARS-CoV-2 XBB Variant, keep on logging to Thailand Medical News.
 
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/warning-sars-cov-2-infections-causes-intestinal-ischemia-increases-disease-severity-and-risk-of-mortality