Tag Archives: Omicron Variant

Is Omicron XBB 5X More Virulent Than Delta Variant?!

Claim : Omicron XBB Is 5X More Virulent Than Delta Variant!

This message has gone viral on WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook particularly in India, claiming that the Omicron XBB variant is 5X more virulent than the Delta variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus!

Note : It’s rather long, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

XBB variant

Let’s pay attention to the following information:

Everyone is advised to wear a mask because the new variant of the COVID-Omicron XBB coronavirus is different, deadly and not easy to detect correctly.

The symptoms of the new virus COVID-Omicron XBB are the following:

1. There is no cough.
2. There is no fever.

There will only be a limited number of these others:

3. Joint pain.
4. Headache.
5. Pain in the neck.
6. Upper back pain.
7. Pneumonia.
8. There is usually no appetite.

COVID-Omicron XBB is 5 times more virulent than the Delta variant and has a higher mortality rate than it.

It takes less time for the condition to reach extreme severity and sometimes there are no obvious symptoms.

Let’s be more careful!

This strain of the virus is not found in the nasopharyngeal region and directly affects the lungs for a relatively short period of time.

Several patients diagnosed with Covid-Omicron XBB were classified as febrile and pain free, but x-rays showed mild chest pneumonia.

Nasal swab tests are often negative for Covid-Omicron XBB, and cases of false negative nasopharyngeal tests are increasing.

This means that the virus can spread in the community and directly infect the lungs, causing viral pneumonia, which in turn causes acute respiratory distress.

This explains why the Covid-Omicron XBB has become something very contagious, highly virulent and lethal.
Caution, avoid crowded places, keep a distance of 1.5 m even in open spaces, wear a double-layer mask, wear a suitable mask, wash hands frequently, even if everyone is asymptomatic (no coughing or sneezing).

This wave of Covid-Omicron XBB is deadlier than the first wave of Covid-19. So we have to be very careful and take several reinforced precautions against the coronavirus.Maintain vigilant communication with your friends and family.

Do not keep this information to yourself, share it with other family members and friends.

Show less

Truth : Omicron XBB Variant Advice From Singapore Is Fake News!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : XBB Is An Omicron Subvariant

First, let me just clarify a common misconception. XBB is technically not a COVID-19 variant. It is a subvariant of the Omicron variant.

As per WHO definition, XBB is a recombinant subvariant of BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 sublineages of the Omicron variant. In other words – XBB is a mix of the BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants of Omicron.

Fact #2 : Omicron XBB Is Detected Like Any Other COVID-19 Variant

The viral message falsely claims that XBB is not easily detected.

XBB is nothing more than a subvariant of Omicron. It is just as easily detected by the same PCR or RTK tests as the original Omicron variant.

Fact #3 : Omicron XBB Symptoms Similar To Other Omicron Variants

The viral message falsely claims that XBB infections do not present with cough or fever.

XBB is just one of the many Omicron subvariants that include BA.5, BA.2.75, BJ.1, and BA.4.6. While they have changes to their spike protein, they have similar symptoms to the Omicron variant.

They are just different versions of the Omicron variant, and present with common symptoms like cough, fever, sore throat, cold, body aches.

Fact #4 : Omicron XBB Is Not 5X More Virulent Than Delta Variant

The viral message falsely claims that XBB is 5X more virulent than the Delta variant.

On 27 October 2022, the WHO Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) reported that there is no “substantial differences in disease severity for XBB infections”.

In other words – XBB infections produce similarly mild disease to Omicron. That is not surprising, because XBB is after all an Omicron subvariant.

The Delta variant (B.1.617.2), which caused havoc in mid 2021, causes more severe disease than any other COVID-19 variants, particularly in people who were not vaccinated.

An April 2022 study published in Nature showed that Omicron variant infections had 2X to 5X fewer fatalities than Delta variant infections.

Fact #5 : Omicron XBB Does Not Skip The Nasopharynx

This COVID-19 variant skips the nasopharynx and attacks the lungs directly is an old hoax that keeps getting rehashed for the variant of the day.

You may recall when Delta variant was the hot topic, people claimed that this is the variant that skips the nasopharynx and infects the lungs directly.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is immobile, and travels through droplets and aerosols that we breathe in. It is not a homing missile that goes in search of a particular target.

As the air we breathe passes through the nasopharynx before it reaches the lungs, that is where most of the virus ends up, and that is why we swab the nasopharynx to detect COVID-19.

Fact #6 : Nasal / Nasopharyngeal Swab Test Will Still Pick Up XBB

The false claim that nasal / nasopharyngeal swab tests will turn up negative also keeps getting rehashed for the variant of the day.

People too earlier claimed that the nasal / nasopharyngeal swab tests would turn up negative for the Delta variant. It was nonsense then, it’s nonsense today.

Nasal or better still, nasopharyngeal swab, to detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus still works for the XBB subvariant.

Fact #7 : Indian Ministry of Health Call This Fake News

As of November 2022, Omicron XBB accounts for 65.6% of COVID-19 cases in India, where this viral message has recently gone viral.

This led to the Indian Ministry of Health posting an official notice, calling it fake and misleading.

#FakeNews

This message is circulating in some Whatsapp groups regarding XBB variant of #COVID19.

The message is #FAKE and #MISLEADING.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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New Symptoms + Dangers of Omicron BA4, BA5?!

Claim : New Symptoms + Dangers of Omicron BA4, BA5!

This warning about the new symptoms and dangers of Omicron BA4 and BA5 variants has gone viral on WhatsApp, and on social media.

It’s rather long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

International news, the epidemic has become serious again in the United States, so experts want everyone to know the following two things!

1) Omicron has no immunity, if you get it, you will get it again.
2) There is no so-called coexistence of this virus. The original experts said that coexistence is wrong!
So please pay attention to this matter and strengthen epidemic prevention, because the changes of the virus after entering the human body are unpredictable!
The virus has mutated, the vaccine has not been updated, and it has lost its protective effect. Therefore, three doses will be the same as the diagnosis, severe disease and death. Protect yourself, do not get infected, and you will have a healthy body.
There’s really no way out
all over the world
Just take precautions
No fluke!

Be sure to wear a mask because the new COVID-Omicron BA4, an extended variant of BA5 coronavirus is different, deadly and not easily detected correctly:-

Symptoms of the new COVID-Omicron BA4 BA5 extension virus are as follows:-

1. Do not cough.
2. No fever.

There will only be:-

3. Joint pain.
4. Headache.
5. Neck pain.
6. Upper back pain.
7. Pneumonia.

8. In general, no appetite

Of course, the COVID-Omicron BA is 5 times more virulent than the Delta variant and has a higher mortality rate than the Delta.

It takes a short time for the disease to progress to extreme severity, sometimes with no obvious symptoms.

Let’s be more careful!

The virus strain does not deposit in the nasopharynx. It directly affects the lungs, the “window,” and is shorter in duration.

Several patients diagnosed with Covid Omicron were eventually diagnosed with no fever or pain, but mild chest pneumonia was found on X-rays.

Nasal swab tests for COVID-Omicron are often negative, with an increasing number of false-negative nasopharyngeal tests.

This means that the virus can spread in the community, directly infecting the lungs, causing viral pneumonia, which in turn causes acute respiratory stress.

This explains why Covid-Omicron has become very harmful, the virus is very virulent and has a high fatality rate.

Please note, avoid crowded places, keep a distance of 1.5m even in open spaces, wear a double-layer mask, wear a suitable mask, and wash your hands frequently when you have no symptoms (coughing or sneezing) .

This Covid Omicron “WAVE” is deadlier than the first wave of Covid-19. So we have to be very careful and take various measures to strengthen prevention against coronavirus.

Don’t keep this information to yourself, share it with other family and friends as much as possible, especially family and close friends

Show less

Truth : New Symptoms + Dangers of Omicron BA4, BA5

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Omicron Infections Still Confer Immunity

The viral message falsely claims that Omicron infections do not confer any immunity, and that you would keep getting it over and over again.

The truth is – whenever our immune system succeeds in fighting off a new COVID-19 variant, it gains the ability to fight off a future infection by the same variant.

In fact, that is how the COVID-19 vaccine works – it presents a copy of SARS-CoV-2 so that our own immune system can learn how to fight against the real virus.

Fact #2 : Original COVID-19 Vaccines Still Work Against Omicron

The viral message falsely claims that COVID-19 vaccines no longer work against Omicron.

It is true that the virus mutates in every infected person, and through the process of evolution, can potentially develop variants that are better at escaping antibodies created by natural immunity and/or vaccines.

But while new variants can have better “immunity escape” ability, you are still protected by the antibodies and immunological memory created by the original COVID-19 vaccines and/or previous COVID-19 infections.

New Omicron vaccines have been developed, and offer better protection against Omicron and its many subvariants.

Fact #3 : BA4 + BA5 Are Omicron Subvariants

The viral message falsely claims that BA4 is a new extended variant of BA5, and is a different virus.

The truth is – BA4 and BA5 are not new COVID-19 variants, just subvariants of the Omicron variant.

As per WHO definition, the Omicron variant includes BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, BA.5 and descendent lineages, including the new XBB subvariant.

Think of them as different model years of the same car – a BMW X5, for example. They may look slightly different, and have upgraded features, but are ultimately BMW X5 models that handle similarly, and different from Mercedes C300 cars.

Fact #4 : BA4 + BA5 Symptoms Similar To Other Omicron Variants

The viral message falsely claims that BA4 and BA5 infections do not present with cough or fever.

BA4 and BA5 are just Omicron subvariants, and present with common symptoms like cough, fever, sore throat, cold, body aches.

Fact #5 : BA4 + BA5 Are Not 5X More Toxic Than Delta Variant

The term “toxic” is nonsensical when it comes to viruses, and tells us that the writer does not understand basic science, never mind virology.

The fake news creator probably meant “virulent” or “virulence”, which refers to the virus’ ability to cause damage to its host. In any case, that is a false claim.

Omicron and its subvariants notably causes less severe illness than the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) that caused havoc in mid 2021.

In fact, the Delta variant causes more severe disease than any other COVID-19 variants, particularly in people who were not vaccinated.

Fact #6 : BA4 + BA5 Do Not Skip The Nasopharynx

The viral message falsely claims that BA4 and BA5 subvariants skip the nasopharynx.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is immobile, and travels through droplets and aerosols that we breathe in. It is not a homing missile that goes in search of a particular target.

As the air we breathe passes through the nasopharynx before it reaches the lungs, that is where most of the virus ends up, and that is why we swab the nasopharynx to detect COVID-19.

Fact #7 : BA4 + BA5 Are Detected Like Any Other COVID-19 Variant

The viral message falsely claims that BA4 and BA5 subvariants are not easily detected.

Again, BA4 and BA5 are Omicron subvariants, and are detected by the same PCR or RTK tests as the original Omicron variant.

Fact #8 : Nasal / Nasopharyngeal Swab Test Will Still Pick Up BA4 / BA5

The false claim that nasal / nasopharyngeal swab tests will turn up negative also keeps getting rehashed for the variant of the day.

People too earlier claimed that the nasal / nasopharyngeal swab tests would turn up negative for the Delta variant. It was nonsense then, it’s nonsense today.

Nasal or better still, nasopharyngeal swab, to detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus still works for the BA4 and BA5 subvariants.

Fact #9 : Omicron Wave Is Not Deadlier Than First COVID-19 Wave

While Omicron is certainly more infectious than the ancestral COVID-19 virus, it is less virulent.

Even though it causes massive waves of infections, severe illness and deaths have been significantly lower. That’s why hospital did not run out of ICU beds or oxygen supply during Omicron waves.

On the other hand, because Omicron is so infectious, it infects many more people. So in very large waves, the large number of infectious could result in large numbers of hospitalisations and deaths.

That’s why health authorities keep advising people to get vaccinated, and if possible, protect themselves by wearing face masks in crowded and/or public areas.

Fact #10 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda

This is just another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

From the odd syntax, it is clear that this viral warning was written / translated from Chinese. It also peculiarly focused on the Omicron wave in the United States when most countries in the world have been hit by Omicron waves of their own.

All of the wumao articles and videos that I looked at so far have proven to be false… at every instance. So please watch out for such false claims.

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Go Back To > Fact Check | Science | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Fact Check : Singapore Advice On Omicron XBB?!

Claim : Omicron XBB Variant Advice From Singapore!

This message, purportedly advice on the new Omicron XBB variant from Singapore, has gone viral on WhatsApp, and on social media.

It’s rather long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

Singapore news!
Everyone is advised to wear a mask because the new COVID-Omicron XBB variant coronavirus is different, deadly and not easily detected properly:-

Symptoms of the novel COVID-Omicron XBB virus are as follows:-

1. Do not cough.
2. No fever.

There will only be many :-

3. Joint pain.
4. Headache.
5. Neck pain.
6. Upper back pain.
7. Pneumonia.
8. Generally have no appetite.

Of course, the COVID-Omicron XBB is 5 times more toxic than the Delta variant and has a higher mortality rate than the Delta.

It takes a shorter time for the condition to reach extreme severity, and sometimes there are no obvious symptoms.

Let’s be more careful!

This strain of the virus is not found in the nasopharyngeal region, and it directly affects the lungs, the “windows,” for a relatively short period of time.

Several patients diagnosed with Covid Omicron XBB were eventually classified as having no fever and no pain, but X-rays showed mild chest pneumonia.

Nasal swab tests are generally negative for COVID-Omicron XBB, and false-negative cases of nasopharyngeal tests are increasing.

This means that the virus can spread in the community and directly infect the lungs, leading to viral pneumonia, which in turn causes acute respiratory stress.

This explains why Covid-Omicron XBB has become highly contagious, highly virulent and lethal.

Please note, avoid crowded places, keep a distance of 1.5m even in open spaces, wear a double-layer mask, wear a suitable mask, wash your hands frequently when everyone is asymptomatic (no coughing or sneezing) .

This Covid Omicron “WAVE” is deadlier than the first wave of Covid-19. So we have to be very careful and take various enhanced coronavirus precautions.

Also maintain vigilant communication with your friends and family.

Don’t keep this information to yourself, share as much as possible with other relatives and friends, especially yours.

Show less

Truth : Omicron XBB Variant Advice From Singapore Is Fake News!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : XBB Is An Omicron Subvariant

First, let me just clarify a common misconception. XBB is technically not a COVID-19 variant. It is a subvariant of the Omicron variant.

As per WHO definition, XBB is a recombinant subvariant of BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 sublineages. In other words – XBB is a mix of the BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants.

Fact #2 : XBB Is Detected Like Any Other COVID-19 Variant

The viral message falsely claims that XBB is not easily detected.

XBB is nothing more than a subvariant of Omicron. It is just as easily detected by the same PCR or RTK tests, as the original Omicron variant.

Fact #3 : XBB Symptoms Similar To Other Omicron Variants

The viral message falsely claims that XBB infections do not present with cough or fever.

XBB is just one of the many Omicron subvariants that include BA.5, BA.2.75, BJ.1, and BA.4.6. While they have changes to their spike protein, they have similar symptoms to the Omicron variant.

They are just different versions of the Omicron variant, and present with common symptoms like cough, fever, sore throat, cold, body aches.

Fact #4 : XBB Is Not 5X More Toxic Than Delta Variant

The term “toxic” is nonsensical when it comes to viruses, and tells us that the writer does not understand basic science, never mind virology.

He/she probably meant “virulent” or “virulence”, which refers to the virus’ ability to cause damage to its host. In any case, that is a false claim.

On 27 October 2022, the WHO Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) reported that there is no “substantial differences in disease severity for XBB infections”.

In other words – XBB infections produce similarly mild disease to Omicron. That is not surprising, because XBB is after all an Omicron subvariant.

The Delta variant (B.1.617.2), which caused havoc in mid 2021, causes more severe disease than any other COVID-19 variants, particularly in people who were not vaccinated.

An April 2022 study published in Nature showed that Omicron variant infections had 2X to 5X fewer fatalities than Delta variant infections.

Fact #5 : XBB Does Not Skip The Nasopharynx