A new COVID-19 variant, HV.1, is estimated to have made one in five recent coronavirus cases. The variant is a subvariant of the Omicron strain and appears to be highly transmissible

This New COVID Variant Makes Up 1 in 5 Cases in the US, CDC Says

A new COVID-19 variant, HV.1, is estimated to have made one in five recent coronavirus cases. The variant is a subvariant of the Omicron strain and appears to be highly transmissible

• A new COVID-19 variant, HV.1, is estimated to be responsible for one in five recent coronavirus cases.
• The variant is a subvariant of the Omicron strain and appears to be highly transmissible.
• Experts recommend people make personal health decisions, like wearing a mask in public and getting an updated COVID booster, to lower their risk of getting sick this fall.

A new COVID-19 variant, HV.1, is being monitored by health authorities.

Omicron has mutated many times since it burst onto the scene in December 2021, and its new subvariant, HV.1, could become the next dominant strain this fall and winter. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the strain currently makes up almost one in five cases in the United States; it's closer to one in four in the mid-Atlantic and some Midwestern states.

HV.1’s growth has been quick—it made up just 0.5% of cases in late July and has now nearly overtaken EG.5, the dominant subvariant in the U.S. since mid-August.

Despite the fact that HV.1 seems to be highly transmissible, experts agree that the new subvariant shouldn’t be a cause for major concern. 

“All that people know at this point, is that it’s increasing in representation,” Ross Kedl, PhD, professor of immunology and microbiology at University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, told Health. “There’s no evidence that it’s more severe.”

Here’s how HV.1 relates to the other variants, when COVID mutations could pose a threat to Americans’ health, and how to stay safe during the expected rise in cases this winter. 

What We Know About HV.1 So Far

HV.1, despite having mutations that make it different from other subvariants, is fairly similar to the other Omicron strains, Kedl said.

Alongside its sister subvariant HK.3, HV.1 is a mutation of EG.5, which was originally derived from the original XBB strain.

The updated COVID vaccines target XBB.1.5, a sort of “uncle” to EG.5 and HV.1 on the Omicron family tree.

According to Kedle, the U.S. is still in the “early days” of dealing with HV.1, so there’s a lot of information not yet known.

In terms of symptoms, “nobody’s noticed anything out of the ordinary,” Kedl explained. HV.1 will likely cause the symptoms that come to be associated with an Omicron infection, such as cough, fatigue, congestion, and runny nose.

Ultimately, HV.1 is expected to be about as severe as the other XBB-related subvariants. 

To determine how concerning a new subvariant is, U.S. health agencies will see if it's overrepresented in hospitals, Thomas Russo, MD, SUNY distinguished professor and chief of the division of infectious diseases at the Jacobs School of Medicine at the University at Buffalo, told Health.

For example, a new subvariant would be considered more dangerous if a large percentage of hospitalized COVID patients had that particular strain as compared to people who weren’t hospitalized.

But that doesn’t seem to be happening with HV.1, Russo explained.

Where HV.1 seems to deviate from other Omicron subvariants is in its ability to spread around the population.

“Its representation is going up,” said Kedl. “That means that it’s found a way to bob and weave around a little bit more pre-existing immunity.”

Staying Prepared As Omicron Continues to Mutate

Since HV.1 is similar to other, existing Omicron-related subvariants, the U.S.’s COVID tools will likely be equally effective against it, experts agreed.

“Overall, these newer variants are very closely related to the XBB.1.5 variant that’s in the current updated [booster],” David Montefiori, PhD, a viral immunologist at the Duke University School of Medicine, told Health.

“That’s a good thing,” Montefiori said. “These variants haven’t really fallen much farther from the tree, so to speak.”

Russo explained that while updated vaccines are “imperfect” when it comes to preventing infections, that doesn’t mean they don’t significantly help keep people safe.

“We’ll probably be doing a good job to decrease the likelihood that people develop severe disease, land in the hospital, and have a bad outcome,” he said.

COVID tests and antiviral treatments such as Paxlovid should still be functional, too.

Both of these treatments “are not based on the spike protein, they’re based on other proteins of the virus,” Montefiori explained. “And those proteins are mutating, but at a much slower rate.”

Mutations in these viral proteins are possible, but for now, that’s not a concern.

It is possible that HV.1 could become more or less of a threat as the weeks go on—it’s definitely something experts said they want to keep an eye on.

“[For] HV.1 and the HK.3, the unique mutations that they do have haven’t really been tested yet. Those data will be coming in the following week or two,” said Montefiori. “But scientists are not expecting the minor changes that are seen in these variants to really have a substantial impact.”

Barring a surge in cases or hospitalizations from HV.1, experts agree that there’s no need for people to be overly concerned.

“At this point, I don’t think any of the variants that we’re experiencing right now require extra [health] measures than what people are already practicing,” said Montefiori.

Still, it’s important to remember that “the overall virus itself—regardless of which strain—has some elevated risks for people over the age of 65,” said Kedl.

This also goes for people who are immunocompromised or have severe underlying diseases, Russo added.

People at higher risk may want to consider wearing a mask when out, since HV.1 and other future subvariants could lead to more transmission, Russo said.

“Those at greatest risk need to be cognizant that COVID is still out there,” he said.

The most important thing for all people to do this fall is to get an updated COVID shot, Montefiori said.

“We’re still learning about this, to be clear,” said Russo. “At this point, [there’s] no grounds for panic. But [it’s] important to monitor this. If you get the updated vaccine, it’s in the Omicron family, and it’s predicted that that will afford good protection.”

This story originally appeared on: Health News - Author:Julia Landwehr