Two New OMICRON Sub-variants emerge in nearly 70 countries; what this means

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

December 9, 2022 – Two new Omicron sub-variants are spreading across the globe causing concern in residents.  Messages have been shared across social media about the two called XBB and BQ.1 regarding their potential for mortality.

So far the World Health Organization has not deemed them sufficiently different enough from each other or from Omicron and its other variants to designate them Variants of Concern.

That decision was made on October 27 and the WHO promised that should any significant changes be noticed it would be immediately reassessed.

So far no reassessment has come from the WHO and the global health body says research has not shown any significant change in severity of XBB than that of other omicron sub variants. But what little evidence there was suggested people were likely to get re-infected with XBB more than other variants.

By the end of October XBB was in 35 countries.

BQ.1 however by October was already in 65 countries and the WHO had said it was showing significant growth advantages meaning spreading quicker over other omicron sub lineages.

Both seem to be slightly better at avoiding vaccines but have not yet shown any evidence of getting people sicker.

Residents are still free to wear their masks and carry out their regular COVID-19 protection and prevention strategies even if they are not required by law.

Jamell Robinson, the former Health Minister for the Turks and Caicos Islands had indicated, to his countrymen, that this was the era of “personal responsibility” encouraging residents to keep up with the protocols that kept them safe.