The XBB.1.5 variant now makes up over 50 percent of COVID-19 cases in New York. The New York State Department of Health said the numbers are based on samples sequenced and uploaded into the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID), the world’s largest database for COVID-19 variant data, the XBB.1.5 variant is the predominant strain in the State.
“Since it emerged, the COVID-19 virus continues to change,” Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. “The new bivalent booster has been updated to address these changes, which is why it is so important that all New Yorkers 6 months and older get the important protection it offers. The booster provides significant protection against getting very sick or being hospitalized, and according to the latest data from CDC, those who received the bivalent booster were more than 18 times less likely to die from COVID-19 compared to unvaccinated people.”
Emerging at a time when both COVID-19 and flu cases are high, early data indicate that XBB.1.5 is able to spread more rapidly than other currently circulating variants. While at this stage there is not yet clear evidence of significant changes to virulence or severity of disease, the Department reminds all New Yorkers to take precautions to protect themselves and loved ones against a fast-moving strain.
To learn more about COVID-19 variants, New Yorkers can visit the Department’s dedicated variant webpage here.
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