Coronavirus Watch: Why everyone is at risk for XBB

If you haven't heard, the new COVID variant is very contagious . And that means everyone is at risk for infection, whether you've had COVID before or not.

XBB.1.5 is growing exponentially. As of Saturday, it accounted for 27% of cases nationwide, as opposed to 1% in the beginning of December.

Experts told health reporter Karen Weintraub that its growth is probably due to two things : the variant's characteristics and human behavior. XBB appears to bind even more tightly to receptors in the human body than its predecessor, and it may be more resistant to previous infections and vaccinations. Meanwhile, a lot of folks have been traveling and not many people are wearing masks.

The takeaway: Have a plan ready in case you get sick.

• Think of how you can isolate from others in your household
• Have the contact number for a health care provider who can prescribe an antiviral
• Have equipment such as rapid coronavirus tests, extra masks, a thermometer and a pulse oximeter to make sure the patient's blood oxygen level doesn't drop below the low 90s

What else to know this week

►Home Test to Treat: This new pilot program , from the National Institutes of Health, will give participants free at-home rapid tests, telehealth sessions and at-home COVID treatments. The program is meant to address racial/socioeconomic inequities by reducing barriers to care. Organizers are starting in in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and hope to serve 100,000 people across the country this year.

►Vaccination rates and children : A study found that vaccination coverage was low overall for kids 5 to 17 but highest among Asian and Hispanic/Latino children and adolescents. Here's a look at who received at least one COVID vaccine dose by Aug. 31:

• One-third of children ages 5 to 11
• More than half of ages 12 to 15
• More than two-thirds of kids ages 16 to 17

►Moderna may charge $110 to $130 for its COVID vaccine once the federal government stops providing the shots, the Wall Street Journal reports . The price is on par with what Pfizer announced last year .

That's it for this week's Coronavirus Watch. Thanks for reading.

– Rachel Aretakis, health editor

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus Watch: Why everyone is at risk for XBB