OMICRON VARIANT

LATEST ASSESSMENT OF WHO ON OMICRON VARIANT

Published By Livemint | 29 Jan, 2023

Omicron variant is descendent lineage of XBB

WHO has recently revised risk assessment for Omicron XBB.1.5 variant from "Low" to "Moderate"

The omicron variant has significantly more mutations than previous SARS-CoV-2 variants

The omicron variant has significantly more mutations than previous SARS-CoV-2 variants

 WHO noted the variant is likely to contribute to increases in case incidence globally

WHO mentioned that ‘number of cases associated with XBB.1.5 is still low and thus severity cannot yet be confidently assessed

There is moderate-strength evidence for increased risk of transmission and immune escape