圖1. 2022年12月12日，隨著2019冠狀病毒症(COVID-19：Coronavirus Disease-19)、流感及呼吸道合胞體病毒(RSV：Respiratory Syncytial Virus)病例攀升，人們遵從美國紐約市一項強烈鼓吹佩戴口罩的建議，戴上了口罩。
People wear masks following a New York City advisory, strongly urging masking as COVID-19, flu, and RSV cases rise, on Dec. 12, 2022.
A new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading in the U.S., raising concerns about a potential wave of infections and reinfections to start the new year.
引發COVID-19之病毒的新變異體，正在美國擴散。引起了有關新年伊始之潛在感染及再感染浪潮的憂慮。
The variant, called XBB.1.5, is a descendent of Omicron and a close relative of the XBB variant, which spread widely in Singapore and India this past fall.
該被稱為XBB.1.5，是Omicron的後代，且是去年秋天，在新加坡及印度廣泛散播之XBB變異體的一種近親。
A December study in the journal Cell demonstrated that XBB is better at evading immune defenses gained from vaccination and prior infection, compared to other variants.
2022年12月，發表於《細胞》期刊的一項研究證實，與其他變異體相較下，XBB更善於規避，從疫苗接種及先前感染中，獲得的免疫防禦力。
This raises the risk of reinfection, a World Health Organization group warned in October—though the group said at the time that XBB does not appear to cause significantly more severe disease than previous strains.
雖然有個世界衛生組織團體，當時表示XBB似乎不會導致，顯著比先前病毒株更嚴重的疾病。不過，在2022年10月發出了，這會提升再感染風險的警告。
Along with its adeptness at getting around immune blockades, XBB.1.5 appears to be highly transmissible, thanks to some key mutations picked up as the virus evolved.
由於當此病毒演化時，增加的一些關鍵突變，連同擅長繞過免疫封鎖，XBB.1.5似乎高度可傳染。
These tweaks are stoking concerns about a surge in cases this winter—particularly given low rates of booster uptake and relaxed disease-mitigation measures. While there is limited research on XBB.1.5 at this point, here’s what we know so far.
此些演變正引發了，有關今年冬天，在病例方面激增的憂慮。特別是，鑑於低的加強劑吸收率及放鬆的疾病緩解措施。儘管，對XBB.1.5的研究有限。不過，在此時這是我們迄今所知曉的。
During the week ending Dec. 31, XBB.1.5 accounted for 40.5% of new sequenced COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It’s currently causing roughly 75% of new cases in the Northeast, which is often a bellwether for the rest of the country.
根據美國疾病控制暨預防中心(CDC：Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)的數據，在截至2022年12月31日的一星期期間，XBB.1.5占了40.5%美國新排序的COVID-19病例。目前這正在，經常是美國其他地區之領頭處的東北部，造成大約75%的新病例。
Nationally representative diagnostic data from Walgreens, a COVID-19 testing provider across the U.S., shows almost 40% of tests are now coming back positive, though it’s not possible to say how many of those infections were due to XBB.1.5. Hospitalizations are also starting to tick upward nationwide, according to CDC data.
來自全美COVID-19檢測提供商，Walgreens具有全國代表性的診斷數據顯示，目前近40%檢測恢復陽性。雖然，不可能確定那些感染中，有多少是由於XBB.1.5。不過，根據CDC的數據，全國性的住院也開始攀升。
While there isn’t much data on XBB.1.5 yet, research on its relative XBB provides some clues.
儘管，沒有很多關於XBB.1.5的數據。不過，對其相關之XBB的研究，提供了一些線索。
Research recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine (and based on a small number of people) suggests that while XBB is more immune-evasive than previous versions of the virus, people who have received the updated bivalent booster are better protected against it than those who have not.
最近發表於《新英格蘭醫學雜誌》(以少數人為基礎)的研究顯示，儘管XBB比先前版本的病毒更能規避免疫。不過，已經接種經更新之二價增強劑的人，對它比那些沒有接種的人，受到更佳保護。
Just 15% of people in the U.S. ages 5 and older have gotten a bivalent booster, according to the CDC, which means many people are currently not as protected as they could be against the new variant.
根據CDC的數據，在美國5歲及以上的人中，僅15%已經獲得二價增強劑。這意味著，對此新變異體，目前很多人不像他們可能的，一樣受到保護。
Whether or not monoclonal antibody treatments are effective against XBB.1.5 is another concern.
單株(也就是單克隆)抗體(指在實驗室中，將遺傳上具特殊性質的細胞予以融合，產生的混合細胞實施無性繁殖，從而產生的抗體)治療能否有效對抗XBB.1.5，是另一個問題。
In the fall of 2022, federal health officials acknowledged that some monoclonal antibody therapies do not work well against newer variants, which is particularly concerning for immunocompromised people who do not respond well to vaccines.
在2022年秋天，美國聯邦衛生官員承認，有些單株抗體療法，對較新的變異體並不適切起作用。這對於對疫苗反應不佳之免疫功能低下的人而言，特別令人擔憂。
The recent Cell study found that these therapies largely did not work against XBB, which suggests the same may be true for XBB.1.5.
該項最近於《Cell》期刊中的研究，發現此些療法大部分對XBB不起作用。這顯示，XBB.1.5可能同樣是如此。
Long COVID, the name for enduring and often-debilitating symptoms that follow a case of COVID-19, can affect anyone infected by SARS-CoV-2, including those who are vaccinated and initially had mild disease.
長期的冠狀病毒症(Covid：Coronavirus Disease)是繼COVID-19病例後，持久且經常使人虛弱之症狀的名稱。它會影響任何遭第二型嚴重急性呼吸系統徵候群-冠狀病毒(SARS-CoV-2：Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2)感染的人，包括那些接種疫苗且最初具輕度疾病的人。
Some data suggest that people infected by earlier Omicron variants were less likely to develop Long COVID than those who caught Delta. But if XBB.1.5 spreads widely, even a small percentage of people developing long-term complications could mean lots of new Long COVID cases.
一些數據顯示，遭較早期之Omicron變異體感染的人，比那些感染Delta的人，較不可能出現Long COVID。不過，倘若XBB.1.5廣泛散播，即使一小比率的人出現長期倂發症。也可能意味著，大量新的Long COVID病例。
Avoiding infection is the best way to stay healthy in both the short and long term. To do that, follow all the usual advice: stay up-to-date on vaccines and boosters, wear a high-quality mask in public indoor areas, meet with others outdoors or in well-ventilated places if possible, and consider avoiding group gatherings if infection rates are high in your area.
避免感染是在短期及長期中，保持健康的最佳方法。為此，遵從所有慣常忠告：持續接種更新的疫苗及加強劑、在公共的室內區域，佩戴優質口罩、倘若可能，在戶外或通風良好的地方與他人會面及在你的地區，倘若感染率高，應考慮避免團體聚會。
網址：https://time.com/6244167/covid-19-variant-xbb15/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sfmc&utm_campaign=newsletter+brief+default+ac&utm_content=+++20230104+++body&et_rid=207513678&lctg=207513678
翻譯：許東榮
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