Notes from the Field: Epidemiologic Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant Variant XBB.1.5 - New York City, November 1, 2022-January 4, 2023

The World Health Organization has noted that XBB.1.5 does not carry any mutation known to be associated with a potential change in severity, such as the Delta spike mutation P681R; however, there are currently limited data available about disease severity in human populations (3). Because NYC witnessed the emergence of XBB.1.5 before much of the United States, and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) routinely links whole genome sequencing and epidemiologic data, DOHMH is uniquely positioned to characterize this subvariant. SARS-CoV-2 specimens collected from NYC residents at five DOHMH COVID-19 Express laboratories, 190 outpatient clinics, and 11 emergency departments across all boroughs within the NYC municipal hospital system were sequenced at DOHMH’s Public Health Laboratory or the Pandemic Response Laboratory, which has operated in Manhattan since September 2020. Acknowledgments Shama Ahuja, Jennifer Baumgartner, Mustapha Mustapha, Celia Quinn, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; New York City Public Health Laboratory Whole Genome Sequencing Unit; Pandemic Response Laboratory; Celia Quinn, CDC. Characteristics of persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5 and BQ.1* variants† — New York City, November 1, 2022–January 4, 2023Return to your place in the text Characteristic SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant no. (column %) p-value§ (XBB.1.5 versus BQ.1) XBB.1.5 (n = 3,019) BQ.1 (n = 6,067) Median age, yrs (IQR) 41 (27–57) 44 (30–59)