The Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant which has been identified in more than 25 countries, including the US and UK, is the most transmissible yet, says the World Health Organisation. Meanwhile, China's recent COVID outbreak is predominantly led by the subvariants BA.5.2 and BF.7.
The World Health Organisation says it is concerned about"risk to life" in China amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, while in Europe and the US the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is spreading rapidly.is the most transmissible variant so far, but said so far it did not appear to cause more serious illness.Speaking at a news conference, WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN agency was “following closely and assessing the risk” of the variant.
"We are really concerned about the current COVID-19 epidemiological picture, with both intense transmission in several parts of the world and a recombinant subvariant spreading quickly."
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