Doctors say latest COVID variant is 'less severe' than others
FORT LAUDERDALE - The latest COVID variant might be more contagious than others, but doctors say it is less severe.
XBB.1.5 is spreading in South Florida but doctors say there's no cause for concern.
"This is likely the way it's going to go. We're going to continue to see peaks. I don't know that we've seen the Christmas New Year's Peak yet," said Chief Medical Officer at Jackson Memorial, Dr. Hany Atallah.
The cause of the rise is due to a multitude of things like the holidays, tourists, activities, and people not wearing masks as much.
However, doctors say we've come a long way.
They say the COVID peaks we're seeing now are dramatically less than what we've seen over the last three years.
At Jackson Health System for example these are the numbers:
July 27, 2020 - 485 (first COVID surge)
August 23, 2021 - 445 (Delta)
January 12, 2022 – 564 (Omicron)
January 13, 2024 - 88
More than half of the 88 inpatients right now, went to the hospital for other reasons.
At Memorial Healthcare System, this time last year they had over 640 patients, today there are only 136.
In Broward, they report significantly fewer hospitalizations than peaks in prior waves.
"We think we're fine presently but we'll see what happens. We're prepared to get more if need be," said Tim Forwell.
He and his wife have been vaccinated and boosted multiple times, so they feel safe amid the rise in cases.
Doctors say the vaccine is working and they encourage people to get the latest booster because it covers most COVID variants.
They also say masks are the best protection if you're around large crowds or if you yourself feel sick.
