New Microbes and New Infections · 5 authors, 7 centres
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This letter to the editor describes the emergence and characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 and warns that the 2023 Indian Premier League cricket tournament, a mass gathering event with global participation, could facilitate its spread. The authors recommend strict traveller guidelines, COVID-appropriate behaviour, and booster vaccination as precautionary measures.
This is a letter to the editor describing the emergence and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 (Arcturus), which the WHO designated a variant of interest. The authors note that XBB.1.16 has a greater effective reproductive number than XBB.1 and XBB.1.5, with two spike substitutions (E180V and T478R) contributing to infectivity, and ORF9b mutations potentially aiding immunity evasion. The authors highlight that the 2023 Indian Premier League (31 March to 28 May 2023), involving international participants and millions of spectators in densely populated cities, could serve as a superspreader event. It is limited to an expert opinion format with descriptive observations and public health recommendations, including face-masking, genomic surveillance of travellers, and wastewater monitoring.
