People wearing masks as a precaution against the coronavirus walk through a market in New Delhi, India, Aug 11, 2022. (ALTAF QADRI / AP)
NEW DELHI / MANILA / SINGAPORE / YANGON – New virulent sub-variants of Omicron spreading COVID-19 infection have been detected in India, raising concerns over infections spreading with the onset of winter.
Sub-variants XBB, XBB.1 and XBB.3 have been found in various parts of India.
XBB, a recombinant lineage between two Omicron sublineages, BJ.1 and BA.2.75 is a fast-spreading sub-variant of the COVID-19 virus.
Other sub-variants of Omicron – BA.2.3.20 and BQ.1 variant – have also been detected for the first time in India from the sample of a patient in Pune. The BQ.1 is a descendant of BA.5. Sub-variant BF.7 was detected by Gujarat Biotechnology Research Center in mid-October.
Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) experts said XBB and XBB.1 are perhaps the most immune-evasive sub-variants to date and can evade the immune response of vaccines currently being used to fight COVID-19.
According to World Health Organization, Omicron remains a COVID-19 variant of concern, with early evidence pointing to XBB and XBB.1 posing a higher reinfection risk than other circulating Omicron sub-lineages.
Nine states in India have reported the presence of XBB sub-variant. Local media reported that there were 380 confirmed cases of XBB in India.
"In the current phase of the pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is continuously accumulating mutations, some of which might contribute to increased transmissibility and immune evasion resulting in transmission advantage over other variants," Rajesh Gokhale, who heads INSACOG, was quoted by local media as having said.
"In India, the Omicron sub-lineages or sub-variants keep diversifying. It has a few new spike mutations," said Gokhale.
According to Gokhale, a modest increase in the spread of XBB in Singapore has been observed, however, in India, there have been no reports of an increase in the severity of the disease or in hospitalizations associated with these variants.
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Staff check a client at a drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on Jan 8, 2022. (MARK BAKER / AP)
Australia
Australia's CSL Ltd said on Wednesday it had struck a licensing deal with Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc that would help it gain access to the US drug developer's messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology.
The biopharmaceutical firm said it would pay Arcturus $200 million upfront in return for an exclusive licence to its next generation mRNA technology to develop vaccines for influenza, COVID-19, and other respiratory viral diseases.
Arcturus said in a separate statement it was eligible to receive more than $4.3 billion in potential payments if certain development and commercial milestones were met, along with a 40 percent net profit share for COVID-19 vaccine products.
Arcturus reported in April that its mRNA COVID vaccine was 95 percent effective in preventing severe disease. New clinical data in August showed its booster vaccine was durable against Omicron variants, including BA.5.
A woman receives a shot of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine in Yangon, Myanmar, Aug 29, 2021. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Myanmar
Myanmar extended its COVID-19 preventive measures until Nov 30, the Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment for COVID-19 has said in a statement.
The extension is applied to all COVID-19 restrictions that expired on Oct 31, except the ones that will be eased, the committee said.
The statement said that the extension covers all orders, announcements, directives previously issued by respective government organizations and ministries in order to contain the pandemic.
The Southeast Asian country confirmed 81 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total tally to 631,797, official data showed on Tuesday.
A man shops for face masks in Divisoria, a local shopping district in Manila on May 17, 2022. (JAM STA ROSA / AFP)
Philippines
The Philippines reported 676 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, marking the lowest daily caseload since June 28 and bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 4,005,157.
The Department of Health (DOH) said the number of active cases dropped to 19,340, while 35 more patients died from COVID-19 complications, taking the death toll to 64,109.
Metro Manila, the capital region with over 13 million people, tallied 141 new cases.
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A notice warning people not to gather in groups larger than five persons as part of restrictions to hald the spread of the coronavirus is displayed at Raffles Place financial business district in Singapore on Jan 4, 2022. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)
Singapore
Singapore reported 5,652 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total tally to 2,108,024.
Of the new cases, 441 were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 5,211 through ARTs (antigen rapid test), according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.
Among the PCR cases, 420 were local transmissions and 21 were imported cases. Among the ART cases with mild symptoms and assessed to be of low risk, there were 4,899 local transmissions and 312 imported cases.
No new deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday, leaving the total death toll unchanged at 1,680.