XBB.1 Likely To Become Dominant Strain In HK: Expert

Government pandemic advisor Lau Yu-lung said on Tuesday that the new Covid subvariant, XBB.1, is more likely to become the dominant strain in Hong Kong than BA.2.75.2, as he called on members of the public to get jabbed as soon as possible.

He made the comment a day after Hong Kong reported two imported cases involving the two new Covid strains.

Speaking on a radio programme, the expert said XBB.1 is likely to replace the current BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants as the dominant strain.

But he said this should not be too much of a concern, as the current vaccines offered in Hong Kong are effective against the subvariant.

He added that people should not wait for the second generation vaccine – which targets the BA.4 and BA.5 strains – as it would likely become “out of date” by the time it’s available in the city.

"By the time we get the second generation vaccine by the end of this year or early next year, the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants will be history. It will be outdated," Lau said.

"Experts have reached a consensus that new Covid strains will definitely emerge and replace the current BA.4 and BA.5 variants. So by the time the vaccine is available, and it's proved to be safe, it will basically have lost its edge."