Tweet
3:14 pm on 21 October 2022
Two new Covid-19 variants have crept into Aotearoa, and although they have not overtaken the current dominant strain, experts are keeping a close eye on their evolution.
The XBB variant has been recorded in New Zealand twice, and BQ.1.1 has been detected in the wastewater in several regions since it was first identified last week.
Western Auckland, Rotorua and Porirua have all had BQ.1.1 in the wastewater but no XBB has been detected in samples yet.
XBB, dubbed the "Nightmare variant" in Singapore, where it has been credited with a sharp increase in infection, is a recombinant variant - meaning two different viruses have infected one person and then spliced together to create a third.
Two new Covid-19 variants have crept into Aotearoa, and although they have not overtaken the current dominant strain, experts are keeping a close eye on their evolution.
The XBB variant has been recorded in New Zealand twice, and BQ.1.1 has been detected in the wastewater in several regions since it was first identified last week.
Western Auckland, Rotorua and Porirua have all had BQ.1.1 in the wastewater but no XBB has been detected in samples yet.
XBB, dubbed the "Nightmare variant" in Singapore, where it has been credited with a sharp increase in infection, is a recombinant variant - meaning two different viruses have infected one person and then spliced together to create a third.
