New discoveries in SARS-CoV-2 research and prevention.

A recent study has explored the virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB subvariant, XBB.1.16, which has two S substitutions, including E180V and T478R in the N-terminal domain (NTD) and receptor-binding domain (RBD), respectively. The study found that XBB.1.16 has immense potential to disseminate and infect people worldwide to a greater extent than XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 subvariants. Furthermore, XBB.1.16 exhibits a higher immune-evasion potential that is similar to that of XBB.1 and XBB.1.5.