NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The new XBB.1.5 subvariant is now responsible for more than 50% of new COVID-19 cases in New York, according to New York State Department of Health statistics.
The subvariant is more contagious than other strains, causing an increase in cases across the state.
Though XBB.1.5 spreads faster, it does not appear to cause more severe illness, health officials said.
The state warned the new strain could make people who are vaccinated or recently tested positive more vulnerable to infection.
The vaccine continues to protect against severe illness though, making those who have been vaccinated and received the most recent booster shots less likely to be hospitalized or killed.
XBB.1.5 is a subvariant of the omicron variant, which caused a massive spike in cases starting in November 2021.
The omicron variant is more contagious than the original form of the virus, and XBB.1.5 is a more contagious form of the omicron variant.
Along with the spread of the virus has come an increase in hospitalizations, though numbers have thus far remained lower than the initial omicron surge last year.
The 7-day average hospitalization rate topped 200 for the first time since February of 2022 in mid-December.
Northwell Health, the largest hospital system in New York, told Newsday XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 accounted for 69.7% of COVID-19 hospitalizations across its 21 hospitals as of Jan. 4.
Case numbers have risen from just over 2,000 at the start of October to 3,117 at the end of the year. This number is likely a severe undercount as Americans increasingly rely on home tests, the results of which are not reported to the state.
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