With a highly contagious coronavirus variant expected to hit Iowa in earnest in the coming weeks, infectious disease specialists and public health experts are urging Iowans to get the bivalent COVID-19 booster shot as soon as possible.

Few of them have so far.

The new COVID-19 offshoot of omicron, called XBB.1.5, has been dubbed by world health leaders as the most transmissible version of the virus yet and has emerged in the United States with a force.

In just one month, from the last week of November to the last week of December, the subvariant rose from less than 1% of total estimated COVID-19 infections nationwide to 40%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Midwest region that includes Iowa is reporting XBB.1.5 makes up 8% of estimated infections as of Dec. 31, the CDC reports. Given that some experts say the virus appears to be five times more contagious than the earlier omicron version, it’s only a matter of weeks before Iowans see a spike in new illnesses.

Everyone is at risk for infection, even those who have so far avoided catching COVID-19, experts say. Some infectious disease specialists also say even the majority of Americans who have already had the coronavirus will likely catch it again.

“A number of people are probably going to become infected,” said Dr. Karen Brust, infectious disease specialist and hospital epidemiologist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Preliminarily, it doesn’t appear that the virus causes more severe illness in those it infects, but those who are immunocompromised continue to face elevated risk, Brust said.

“They’re not at the advantage of having good immunity after a vaccine, so I still worry about that subpopulation of people,” she said. “They need to do other things to protect themselves against getting sick from COVID.”

Coronavirus vaccines and boosters are still effective in preventing severe disease and death.

In light of the new subvariant making its way into Iowa, local public health officials say it’s especially important Iowans get the bivalent booster, a shot approved by federal officials last year that offers protection against both the omicron strains currently circulating widely and the original strain of the virus.

“We’re really asking people to get their bivalent boosters if they haven’t already,” Brust said.

Bivalent boosters offer protection against new variant, other omicron versions of coronavirus
State and local public health officials continue to push Iowans to be up-to-date on their coronavirus vaccinations, but this new variant has renewed their emphasis on the newest bivalent booster dose.

They say that shot is key to reducing serious illness and reducing the risk of infecting others.

“Getting vaccinated and staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines remains the best form of protection from serious illness, hospitalization and death,” Iowa Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Sarah Ekstrand said.

Current vaccine rates in Iowa are not enough to reduce spread of the new variant, Brust said.

According to the most recent data from state public health officials, 60% of the state’s population was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of December. Fewer than 1 in 6 Iowans have received a bivalent booster dose, the shot designed to protect from omicron strains of COVID-19.

“For whatever reason, the bivalent booster did not have the uptake that we had hoped it would have,” Brust said. “I was hoping that the bivalent booster would be seen the way an influenza seasonal booster was seen, because that’s the way I’m looking at it. Every time I’m going into a respiratory season, I’m going to think about boosting myself with a COVID booster.”

State and Polk County public health officials say they continue to share public messaging around the importance of COVID-19 vaccination. Recently, Polk County Health Department worked with a Des Moines-based church, the Christ Apostolic Temple, to create commercials, including one in Spanish airing this month, that encourage COVID-19 vaccines.

“With the emergence of new COVID-19 variants of concern, we will continue to urge the community to get vaccinated and fully boosted,” said county agency spokesperson Madisun VanGundy.

What are the symptoms of XBB.1.5?

An infection from XBB.1.5 has the same symptoms as an infection with earlier versions of the coronavirus. Symptoms, which can range from mild symptoms to severe illness, can appear between 2 to 14 days after exposure.

According to the CDC, symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• Cough

• Fatigue

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Body aches or headache

• Fever or chills

• New loss of taste or smell

• Sore throat

• Congestion or runny nose

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

How to avoid an infection

Public health experts and health care providers continue to recommend the same strategies to keep yourself and others around you healthy. First and foremost is getting vaccinated, Brust said. The primary coronavirus vaccine series and boosters are available at most pharmacies, or through your health care provider.

Individuals should also continue to wear masks to reduce the risk of infection, especially in crowded indoor spaces. They should also wash their hands often and should stay home when they are feeling sick.

Brust said it’s important for individuals to be informed of current transmission levels in their community and other metrics that highlight the current spread of the virus.

It’s also important to a step back to consider what their risk for infection might be, or the risk for immunocompromised individuals around them, she said. That includes considering how many people may be at an event and its location.

“I use all of those things to determine the way I interact with the outside world, so that’s usually what I tell people to do: consider those things as they go out there,” Brust said.