WHO Designates XBB.2.3 As A Variant Under Monitoring And Warns About Increasing COVID-19 Deaths In South East Asia!
COVID-19 News - XBB.2.3 - South-East Asia May 21, 2023 1 year, 7 months, 4 days, 22 hours, 38 minutes ago
COVID-19 News: The World Health Organization (WHO) in its latest weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 reported 2.3 million new COVID-19 infections and 17,000 COVID-19 deaths in the last 28 days.
It should be noted that figures released by WHO are typically conservative figures and compiled by data submitted by various governments who are in the habit of underreporting or concealing the true COVID-19 scenario. Hence actual figures could be much higher.
Authorities from the WHO also warned about the increasing COVID-19 death rates in South-east Asia that is currently witnessing a new COVID-19 onslaught caused by a variety of XBB sub-lineages.
According to the WHO data, there was about 1,225 COVID-19 deaths in the last 28 days in South-east Asia representing an increase of 153%.
COVID-19 infections are at present increasing in various South-East Asian countries including Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore Vietnam, Laos etc although many governments and health authorities are trying to downplay the seriousness of the crisis.
The WHO has also designated the XBB.2.3 sub-lineage as a Variant Under Monitoring.
Thailand Medical News in our
COVID-19 News reports have already been warning about the XBB.2.3 sub-lineage and its various emerging spawns since the end of April 2023.
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/covid-19-news-forget-about-xbb-1-16-variant,-experts-and-the-general-public-should-be-more-worried-about-the-xbb-2-3-variant-and-its-spawns
The XBB.2.3 sub-lineage is already found in 47 countries around the world and is spawning numerous sub-lineages with concerning mutations that not only increase its transmissibility and immune evasiveness but also possible changes to its pathogenesis.
While the XBB.2.3 sub-lineage and its spawns are only just starting to gradually increase in circulation prevalence, they are not expected to be predominant yet and will likely lead the next onslaughts after the onslaught by the XBB.1.16, XBB.1.9.1 and XBB.1.9.2 and their spawns.
Interestingly however, in geolocations where XBB.2.3 and its spawns have appeared, there seems to be a noticeable increase in hospitalizations though conclusions that it increases disease severity and risk of mortality cannot be ascertained yet at this stage.
Some of the newer spawns of the XBB.2.3 that warrants close monitoring includes XBB.2.3.2, XBB.2.3.5, XBB.2.3.8, XBB.2.3.10.
https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/World/AllSamples/Past6M/variants?nextcladePangoLineage=XBB.2.3.2&
https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/World/AllSamples/Past6M/variants?nextcladePangoLineage=XBB.2.3.5&<
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https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/World/AllSamples/Past6M/variants?nextcladePangoLineage=XBB.2.3.8&
https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/World/AllSamples/Past6M/variants?nextcladePangoLineage=XBB.2.3.10&
https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/World/AllSamples/Past6M/variants?nextcladePangoLineage=XBB.2.3.11&
It should be noted that there are more than 246 different XBB sub-lineages now in circulation globally! Some of these newer sub-lineages are already superseding the XBB.2.3 sub-lineage and its spawns in terms of needing closer monitoring due to the unique and concerning mutations appearing on them!
https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/World/AllSamples/Past6M/variants?nextcladePangoLineage=xbb*&
The XBB variant and other Omicron variants and recombinant strains are evolving and spawning mutations at a very rapid rate that has unprecedented in the field of virology. The usage of various monoclonal antibody therapeutics, convalescent plasma, vaccines and substandard antivirals has been the driving factors behind this anomalous trend along with the current kinetics of the COVID-19 pandemic where all preventive and safety measures have been removed.
While researchers and virologist have been focusing on immune evasiveness and transmissibility involving the ACE binding capabilities of these newer XBB sub-lineages, very little has been focused on their pathogenicity, the usage of newer receptors in the human hosts and also more importantly the changes in their genomes that enhances them for recombinant or reassortant events!
With many of the newer sub-lineages now able to infect various animal species, we expect that SARS-CoV-3 will likely emerge very soon if it has not already done so as a result of a reverse zoonotic event where the new but volatile Omicron or XBB sub-lineages will likely undergo a recombinant or reassortant event with existing coronaviruses or even other viruses present in these animal host and then infect humans!
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COVID-19 News, keep on logging to Thailand Medical News.
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