XBB.1.5 COVID subvariant expected to spread fast, but cases, hospitalizations falling in Oregon for now – OregonLive
COVID-19 hospitalizations fell sharply this week, though local experts say the anticipated arrival of the XBB.1.5 variant could interrupt the downward trajectory.
Nearly 24% fewer people who tested positive for the coronavirus occupied hospital beds Wednesday compared to the previous week. Reported cases fell 11%, even as testing climbed 4%, although both measures do not track at-home testing.
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Increasing evidence of coronavirus spread has been found in the most recent sewage data for Portland, Albany, Sunriver and Dallas, although the results are from Dec. 20-22. Many other locales saw steady levels of coronavirus in sewage.
Oregon Health & Science University predicts hospitalizations could climb slightly in February as the highly contagious XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant takes hold. The variant, nicknamed Kraken, doesn’t differ enough from omicron to warrant its own Greek letter, according to the World Health Organization.
But it is quickly becoming dominant in other parts of the country though not yet in the Pacific Northwest, according to federal modeling.
The subvariant’s ability to evade immune protections from vaccines or prior infections means many people will likely contract it, even if they have protection, said Kaiser Permanente’s Dr. Katie Sharff. But XBB.1.5 doesn’t appear to cause more severe COVID-19 cases than other variants, she said.
“Despite all of these headlines, I don’t think this is a freakout moment,” said Sharff, Kaiser’s chief of infectious disease. “I think people can take a deep breath.”
Instead, Sharff said, the emergence of the subvariant is evidence people must “learn how to live with the virus,” adding a caveat for those who are at risk of severe disease, who she said should consider taking measures to protect themselves. For everyone else, she said, the subvariant won’t have major implications, beyond perhaps keeping them home for several days if they get sick.
“As a parent, my children bring home a cold every month,” Sharff said. “XBB is just one more respiratory infection that my kids bring home from school.”
And yet, the picture could be more complicated. A study published in Nature last fall found that having multiple COVID-19 infections increases a person’s risk of death or complications requiring hospitalization.
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Since it began: Oregon has reported 944,622 confirmed or presumed infections and 9,078 deaths.
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Hospitalizations: 261 people with confirmed coronavirus infections are hospitalized, down 81 since Jan. 4. That includes 36 people in intensive care, down five since Jan. 4.
New deaths: Since Jan. 4, the Oregon Health Authority has reported 54 additional deaths connected to COVID-19.
— Fedor Zarkhin
