BALTIMORE – A new variant of COVID is spreading wildly across the country, creating a new wave of cases.
“It outperforms Omicron and its variants,” said Esti Schabelman, medical director of Sinai Hospital.
The variant is XBB 1. 5 and is derived from the Omicron strain.
But this variant is more contagious. Schabelman said a month ago that the subvariant only accounts for 0. 6 percent of all instances in the country. It has now spread to more than 40% with 75% of new infections in the Northeast.
He said this variant doesn’t send other people to hospitals as often.
This does not mean throwing away the mask entirely. Anyone attending a giant drive bring a mask with them just in case, especially if they are not vaccinated.
The new strain appears to be fighting vaccines.
“It has the ability to evade vaccines even more than the previous variant like Omicron,” Schabelman said.
However, existing vaccines are effective to some extent because they save you hospitalizations and deaths, he said.
But there is room for improvement.
“In the future, we will most likely want vaccines targeting Omicron and its subvariant,” he said. “And that’s already being resolved. “
If you start to feel bad, don’t get rid of it.
Schabelman said he takes on duty and avoids going to paintings or any other occasion to save him more money.