| Another year, another COVID-19 variant, same drill. A new omicron COVID-19 variant, XBB.1.5, has made its way to the Houston area with a 38 percent positivity rate. In Brazoria County, more than 300 positive COVID-19 cases were reported on Jan. 6. The new strain, XBB.1.5, was first detected on the East Coast in late October. Over the last four weeks, it has edged out previously dominant strains to make up 40 percent of cases nationally. Early lab results indicate that it appears more transmissible than its predecessors and has properties that help it evade vaccine immunity, said Dr. Luis Ostrosky, chief of infectious diseases with UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann Hospital. Only 15 percent of Americans over 5 years old have received the updated booster shot, first authorized for adults in August. About 30 percent of the country's population has yet to complete the primary series, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Sunday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued a tweet encouraging residents to get vaccinated and boosted if eligible due to the increase of positive cases. Do you or anyone you know tested positive for the new variant? If so, how were the symptoms and how has it impacted you? Let me know at pooja.bhakta@chron.com. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment