The 'Kraken variant' of COVID-19 has rapidly become a cause of global concern, having spread to at least 37 countries. It is considered to be the most transmissible sub-variant ever.
First detected in 2022, the 'Kraken variant' of COVID-19 has rapidly become a matter of global concern. According to the World Health Organisation, the new sub-variant has spread to at least 37 countries and is believed to be the most transmissible strain to date.
While it was a mere 2% of all cases in the US in early December, that number has now climbed to nearly 28% of COVID-19 patients – making it the country's second most prominent strain in the first week of January. , According to the latest estimates from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it has exceeded 70% in some areas.
What is Kraken variant?
Nicknamed the 'Kraken variant' by some, XBB.1.5 is a descendant of the Omicron XBB subvariant—itself a cross between two earlier strains: BA.2.75 and BA.2.10.1.
The original XBB variant has already caused a wave of infections in countries including Singapore and India since the WHO first flagged it as a variant of concern in October last year.
According to a recent press conference, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's COVID-19 technical lead, said that XBB.1.5 is "the most transmissible sub-variant yet discovered".
Is the Kraken variant more dangerous?
Scientists have warned that subvariants such as XBB pose "serious threats" to current COVID-19 vaccines. The WHO has meanwhile called the XBB variant "the most antibody-resistant variant to date". According to the researchers, the sub-variant has a stronger affinity for ACE2, a key receptor for the virus, which allows it to bind more easily and increase its transmissibility.
Higher transmissibility in turn means that more people are likely to be infected, and thus suffer serious consequences. Thus far, however, there has not been a significant difference in the severity of reported symptoms between cases caused by XBB.1.5 and those caused by previous variants.
The new sub-strain is however showing signs of evading immunity. This means that it has the potential to evade previous protection provided by natural immunity or vaccines and to re-infect people who have previously recovered from infection.
Could the Kraken variant cause a new wave of cases?
The US has already seen a significant rise in cases, followed by the UK. While the proportion of infections caused by XBB.1.5 is lower in other countries, experts warn that the picture could change rapidly.
In Europe, XBB.1.5 may increase the number of cases, although this is unlikely to happen in January as it is currently present at low levels.
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