1/ Should we really be concerned about XBB.1.5 taking over?

Our model currently shows the XBB.1.5 variant is spreading quickly in the United States. Although we should be paying close attention, it may be too soon to sound the alarm. 🧵: 2/ 93% of XBB.1.5 sequences have come from the United States. And inside the US, the majority (76%) of its sequences are from New York. Globally, we have not yet observed a rise in XBB.1.5. Information on the variant’s spread outside the US is limited.

1/ We are releasing our November update on US states’ data reporting of COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections (BI). The grades reflect reporting quality, not how well a state is responding to COVID-19. A breakdown of the scoring criteria is here: rockefellerfoundation.org/pandemicpreven… 2/ @CDPHE and @CTDPH are now reporting BI data differentiated between first and second boosters.