Latest news with #XDV
RTHK
29-05-2025
- Health
- RTHK
Covid to drop to lower level in a month or two: CHP
Covid to drop to lower level in a month or two: CHP Health authorities say various indicators, including the number of Covid patients seeking help, have shown that coronavirus activity has dropped. File photo: AFP Health authorities on Thursday said Covid activity in Hong Kong appears to be declining from its peak, but that it would take "a month or two" before reaching a lower level. The Centre for Health Protection said the percentage of respiratory samples testing positive for the coronavirus and the viral load in sewage samples have gone down in the week ending on May 24, compared to the period between May 11 and 17. The number of patients seeking medical help for Covid also dropped, the centre said in a statement. But the centre's controller, Edwin Tsui, noted that coronavirus activity would remain "relatively high" in the meantime. "Hong Kong has experienced an upsurge in Covid-19 cases since April this year, more than half a year after the last increase in July and August of last year. The current active period is expected," he said. "Although the activity of Covid-19 has started to decline, with reference to previous data, we expect that it will remain at a relatively high level in the short term, and will take a month or two to gradually decline to a lower level." Tsui noted XDV and variants descended from it, including NB.1.8.1, have become the most prevalent strains in the SAR, according to genetic analysis. NB1.8.1 has been assigned as one of the "variants under monitoring" by the World Health Organization, but the body suggested that the risk it posed was low. To that, Tsui said Covid vaccines currently used in Hong Kong "can effectively prevent infection and severe disease", while urging high-risk individuals to "not take this lightly" and get inoculated with a booster shot.
HKFP
29-05-2025
- Health
- HKFP
1-year-old in critical condition after Covid-19 infection
A one-year-old girl infected with Covid-19 is in critical condition, Hong Kong's health authorities have said, amid an increase in infections that began in mid-March. The infant had a fever and runny nose since Tuesday, and was brought to the accident and emergency room at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital after experiencing convulsions, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP). She was diagnosed with Covid-19 complicated with encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain tissue. She is in critical condition and remains hospitalised in the paediatric intensive care unit. A preliminary investigation found that she had not been vaccinated for Covid-19 and had no travel history during the incubation period. Three people in her household experienced symptoms, of which two tested positive for Covid but had recovered. The CHP logged two separate cases of severe paediatric Covid-19 infections earlier this month, including a 17-month-old girl diagnosed with Covid-19, adenovirus and rhinovirus, complicated with croup, a respiratory infection. A 13-year-old girl was also diagnosed with Covid-19 complicated with pneumonia. The CHP said on Wednesday that Covid-19 has become an endemic disease with cyclical patterns. Overall Covid activity has continued to rise since mid-March, though the rate of increase in sewage and respiratory samples had slowed down in the week ending May 17 compared to the previous week. 'Relatively high level' According to a CHP report, the centre logged 977 positive nucleic acid test detections for Covid-19 between May 11 and 17, compared with the 1,042 in the previous week. Also in that week, 1,214 respiratory specimens tested positive for Covid-19, compared to the previous week's 1,205. 'Although the rate of increase in the COVID-19 activity level in Hong Kong has begun to slow down, the CHP expected the COVID-19 activity level to remain at a relatively high level in a short period of time,' the centre said in a Wednesday statement. It also reminded high-risk individuals, such as those who have underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised, to get jabbed for Covid or receive booster shots. They should also take additional measures to protect themselves such as masking when in public. Covid vaccines in Hong Kong are still effective in preventing the dominant XDV strain, the centre said. The CHP's announcement came after the head of the paediatric infectious diseases unit at Princess Margaret Hospital, Mike Kwan, made similar calls earlier this month as he said the hospital's paediatric ward was 'full' of young unvaccinated Covid cases.
Hans India
26-05-2025
- Health
- Hans India
From epidemic to endemic, Covid era has ended, says health expert
Hyderabad: Has the COVID-19 era ended? A health expert from the city and Indian Medical Association (IMA) Scientific Committee Convener Dr Kiran Madhala on Sunday said that with the JN.1 variant, this is the end of COVID-19 era from Alpha to JN.1 from a period of 2019 to 2025. According to Dr Kiran Madhala, COVID-19 has effectively transitioned into an endemic phase, as clearly reflected in the evolving pattern of SARS-CoV-2 variants across different countries. Up until the emergence of JN.1, there was a relatively uniform global pattern in variant circulation. However, post-JN.1, this trend has shifted, with each country now demonstrating distinct evolutionary trajectories. Dr Kiran said that India has shown progression toward the XEG lineage, emerging via JF.7. Singapore, on the other hand, has evolved towards NB.1.8.1, a descendant of XDV. Notably, although India reported its first NB.1.8.1 case in April 2025, the variant has not gained significant prevalence within the country. This divergence marks a clear departure from the previously observed global uniformity, indicating that COVID-19 variant evolution has become geographically localised, a hallmark of an endemic infection, said Dr Kiran Madhala. Dr Kiran said that the XFG variant, derived from LF.7 and LP.8.1.2, harbours four key spike protein mutations including H445R, N487D, Q493E, and T572I. It has demonstrated a rapid global dissemination since its initial detection in Canada. LF.7.9 and XFG exhibit significantly reduced RBD-ACE2 binding affinity, primarily due to the A475V (in LF.7.9) and N487D (in XFG) mutations. These mutations contribute to lower receptor engagement efficiency. The XFG variant shows high immune evasion potential, raising concerns about vaccine and antibody efficacy. XFG and LF.7 have evolved from the Omicron lineage, following the trajectory- Omicron BA.2 → BA.2.86 → JN.1 → JN.1.16.1 → LF.7 → XFG. LF7 and XFG are likely to be designated as variants under monitoring with low grade infection, said Dr Kiran.
