Mutations

WHO tracking Omicron XBB.1.16 subvariant, rising cases in some countries CIDRAP

In its weekly update on the pandemic, the WHO said it added XBB.1.16 as the sixth variant under monitoring on Mar 22. It also said though global cases and deaths continue to decline, some countries—including India—are reporting recent spikes in cases.

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WHO revises COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for Omicron-era The World Health Organization has tailored its COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for a new phase of the pandemic, suggesting that healthy children and adolescents may not necessarily need a shot but older, high-risk groups should get a booster between 6 to 12 months after their last vaccine. Reuters Reuters

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Omicron less likely than wild-type virus to result in long COVID, study suggests CIDRAP

Swiss researchers find that the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is much less likely to lead to long COVID than the original, wild-type virus.

Opinion: The clock is ticking. When will Congress fund updated Covid-19 treatments? | CNN Many antibody drugs are no longer effective against Covid-19 due to the rapid evolution of the virus and its many subvariants, writes Syra Madad. The US government desperately needs to continue to invest in more Covid therapeutics to keep up with the evolving nature of the virus. Syra Madad CNN

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