A grandson of Ba.2 is taking over unusually rapidly
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For the last six months or so, we have had a lot of Covid infections
everywhere, and the dominant variant was Omicron Ba.5. This changed recently
within about four weeks when a new clade called XBB.1.5 showed up and became
the largest circulating variant nearly overnight. Per CDC variant tracker:
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In the Northeastern regions of the US, which usually lead with new
variants, XBB.1.5 is already fully dominant and comprises 75% of cases:
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Hospitalizations, sadly, follow this variant as well. New York
hospitalizations are up significantly:
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Hospitalizations are also up in Massachusetts, way past
summer levels:
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Cases are up also, per MA wastewater report for Boston:
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Note that, coincidentally, US Northeast is a very highly vaccinated region
- and yet it is home to another outbreak that is already outstripping the Ba.5
wave. Another victory of safe and effective COVID vaccines! (just kidding)
The officials did not expect this surge, but it is here:
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XBB.1.5 is an offshoot of
Ba.2
XBB variant is an offshoot of Ba.2, which went through the USA this
spring and has now returned.
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Despite promises of “miltilayered hybrid immunity” from vaccinations and
multiple reinfections, there is no immunity in sight. This is already the seventh
wave of Covid in New York.
The chart below shows that XBB.1.5 is the sneakiest variant ever to
evade vaccinated immunity (an oxymoron by now). It also has a great affinity to
ACE2, so very likely it will be able to infect the lungs and the cardiovascular
system with worse outcomes than previous Omicron variants.
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Overall, it feels like we are entering another major Covid wave. It will
prove worse than last summer’s wave, and the most frustrating part here is that
Covid is not going away.
New York is experiencing its seventh wave of Covid, despite (and
actually because of) its draconian COVID vaccination mandates that created a
perfect breeding ground of people who cannot develop immunity to Covid,
reinfecting each other.
Soon XBB.1.5 will be coming to a neighborhood near you.
Some of you would say, who cares, it is just a cold. If Covid was mild
for you, congratulations. It was relatively mild for me, also. However, it was
not just a cold for many people I know personally, and it was not just a cold
for many of my subscribers, also. This was also serious to this Twitter
user:
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If I could suggest how to stay healthy, it would be to get exercise, get
some sunlight if possible, take reasonable vitamins, and stock up on proper
Covid medications in advance. This is all that we can do.
Any other health suggestions?
If any of your associates had Covid recently, how did it go? Is
Ivermectin still useful?
Please share but be mindful of people’s privacy!
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