Rising cases of COVID-19 variant, XBB.1.5

Flu cases and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) rates are beginning to drop in the U.S.; however, reported cases of COVID-19 are increasing. A new COVID-19 omicron variant, XBB.1.5, is spreading quickly and being closely monitored, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“What we are learning about this new variant, XBB.1.5, is that it spreads much more easily compared to the previous variants, and almost twice more likely to spread compared to the previous variants,” says Dr. Raj Palraj, an infectious diseases specialist with Mayo Clinic Health System. “Most recent data from the CDC show that more than 40% of the COVID-19 infections in the U.S. are due to this new variant.”
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