What is the new Covid strain XBB.1.5?

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-“We have yet another variant of Covid-19,” said Norton Children’s Infectious Diseases Dr. Kris Bryant.

This new variant is called XBB.1.5. It was first detected in the fall in the northeastern part of the country. 

“It seems to be a combination of two earlier omicron variants. Two omicron B2 variants came together to make XBB.1.5,” said Dr. Bryant. 

Doctors say it seems to be spreading pretty quickly. 

“Every week for the last five to six weeks, the proportion of news cases due to this variant is increasing, sometimes it’s doubling,” said Dr. Bryant. 

Right now it accounts for about 27% of all new Covid cases. 

Med Center Health says right now they have 22 patients hospitalized with Covid across their hospitals. 

“We are still seeing patients around the emergency room and community with Covid but fortunately they’re not as sick as the cases we saw several years ago or a couple months ago,” said Med Center Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. William Moss. 

Doctors say there are some conversations going around that Covid is not a big deal anymore or that it’s just a cold. They argue it is still serious, especially for those who are still at risk for severe Covid. 

“Doing some research into the bivalent vaccine, how effective it has been. There is evidence it does help prevent severe disease and particularly those with high risk factors,” said Dr. Moss.