After increasing in prevalence during the early months of 2023, the Omicron descendent XBB.1.16 is now a variant of interest, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced. XBB.1.16, a combination of 2 BA.2 lineages, accounted for 4.15% of COVID-19 cases worldwide as of the week of March 27, up from 0.52% 4 weeks prior. More than 30 countries have reported XBB.1.16 cases, the majority of which are in India.
Source: JAMA Online First