WHO elevates XBB.1.16 to variant of interest as levels rise in US and other countries

WHO elevates XBB.1.16 to variant of interest as levels rise in US and other countries CIDRAP

The World Health Organization (WHO) this week boosted the XBB.1.16 Omicron subvariant to a variant of interest (VOI) from a variant under monitoring (VUM), based on the latest assessments from its technical advisory group on virus evolution.

The subvariant is fueling India's biggest surge in about 7 months, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported another jump in the proportion of XBB.1.16 viruses.

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