National Pathogen Resource Bank Begins Distribution of BN.1 and XBB.1.5 Variants

Dominant Omicron Variants in South Korea and the United States

Photo of the COVID-19 Omicron variant. [Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The National Institute of Infectious Diseases at the Korea National Institute of Health's National Pathogen Resource Bank announced on the 20th that it will distribute two newly isolated sublineages of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus recently identified in Korea.

The newly distributed variants are the BN.1 variant, currently the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Korea, and the XBB.1.5 variant, which is prevalent in the United States. Including these new variants, the National Pathogen Resource Bank offers a total of 66 strains of COVID-19 virus pathogen resources.

Kwon Jun-wook, director of the Korea National Institute of Health, stated, "The distribution of new Omicron variant sublineages by the National Pathogen Resource Bank can serve as fundamental materials for research and industry, such as the development of diagnostic reagents, therapeutics, and vaccines to respond to the spread of variants."