Specialists are looking into the Kraken, Omicron strain XBB.1.5, because of its capacity to facilitate the next massive coronavirus wave. This potential is due to its ability to escape immunity and its great transmissibility.
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Highly Transmissible "Kraken" COVID-19 Strain
CTV News notes how such a variant is concerning and that the general public should exert caution. The presence of this new variant also shows how the virus keeps on evolving. However, more than that, it also stresses the need for global vaccination equity in order to prevent the emergence of other variants.
Yahoo! News reports how the technical advisory group in charge of virus evolution of the World Health Organization is assessing the variant's risk. Technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove notes how such a variant is the most transmissible one to date.
WHO has asked the CDC to report the variant's risks, especially since the strain was first seen within the US and has speedily overpowered other variants in the northeastern regions.
Reports are expected to arrive within the next few days. Experts are currently concerned with Kraken's capacity to spread fastly and take over other Omicron strains. During the earlier parts of December, the strain was a small blip in the radar of CDC. However, as of last Friday, the variant has been seen to account for 41% of national cases. Yahoo! News reports how it is primed to become the most dominant variant across the US after the defeat of the recent BQ variant waves.
According to NBC Chicago, Dr. Allison Arwady, the Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, notes how the variant is a mix of two subtypes that went before it.
As for its great transmissibility and wide spread across the US, Van Kerkhove notes how this is because these mutations under the Omicron subvariant enable the virus to easily replicate and follow the cell. She notes how the said variant has been spotted across 29 nations thus far. She also notes how with the decline on initiatives for genomic sequence, it is more difficult to monitor the widespread of the strain.
Severity of Kraken
This speedy growth has made specialists wonder if the variant will be more concerning, especially with the rise of COVID-19 hospitalization within the US.
However, NBC Chicago reports that though the origins of the variant are still not clear, Arwady has noted that the subtype has not exhibited any signs that connote potential severity. Arwady notes how the progression and severity of the variant can be learned as it becomes focused on over time.
Dr. Lisa Barrett, assistant professor from the Dalhousie University's Faculty of Medicine and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, notes how though there is no proof that the variant leads to severe conditions, its transmissibility and potential immunity-evasiveness are clear.
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