Context: More than three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, newer variants have emerged with an uptick in cases, hospitalisations, and even deaths.
Major Highlights:
- After Kappa, Delta, BA.2.75, and BA.2.76, the latest variant (first detected in India) is the Omicron recombinant XBB.1.16. This variant accounts for over 30% of all sequenced genomes in March 2023, and its proportion has been increasing.
- However, there is no need for alarm as there has been no concomitant increase in hospitalisations, even among vulnerable groups, which suggests that clinical severity in infected people might not be a concern.
- India is fully relying on hybrid immunity arising from vaccination and natural infection for extended protection.
- Fortunately, the estimated 95% of India’s population above 12 years possessing hybrid immunity has been shielding people from serious COVID-19 disease even when a few Omicron variants caused a spike in 2022.
Way Forward:
- People, especially from vulnerable groups, carry a higher risk of infection from COVID, so they need to follow basic precautions such as wearing a mask in closed space settings when newer variants emerge.
- There is a need to increase whole genome sequencing to help track the new variants that might emerge and gear the country for any major outbreak.
Hybrid immunity:
- Hybrid immunity refers to the protection against a disease that results from a combination of natural immunity gained through infection and vaccination-induced immunity. E.g., A person who had previously contracted COVID-19 and then received a COVID-19 vaccine would have hybrid immunity to the virus.
- Research suggests that hybrid immunity may provide better protection against certain diseases than either natural or vaccine-induced immunity alone. However, the extent of protection and the duration of hybrid immunity is an area of active research and varies depending on the specific disease and the individual's immune response.