Dangerous Omicron "Kraken": XBB.1.5 "most contagious subvariant discovered so far"

Created: 01/09/2023 05:07

By: Markus Hofstetter

The Omikron sub-line XBB.1.5 is on the rise worldwide.

Also because it is considered more infectious than other variants, it was given the nickname "Kraken".

Munich - Starting from North America, the subline XBB.1.5 of the Corona variant Omicron is spreading further and further.

What makes the mutant so dangerous: It is considered to be much more contagious than the other variants.

According to Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the World Health Organization (WHO) program to combat the coronavirus pandemic, it is the "most contagious subvariant discovered to date".

Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5: Nicknamed "Kraken" due to high infectivity

The extremely high infectivity led to an inglorious nickname of XBB.1.5.

Canadian biology professor T. Ryan Gregory suggested the name "octopus" (the octopus, also the giant octopus) on Twitter.

Apparently, the nickname caught on so well that it's since become commonplace.

Omicron subvariant "Kraken": frequency of XBB.1.5 doubles every week

According to the Robert Koch Institute, "Kraken" was detected for the first time in a random sample in Germany at the end of November last year.

According to the EU health authority ECDC, it could have an increasing impact on the number of corona cases in Europe, but not within the next month, as it is currently only occurring on a small scale.

According to Richard Neher, head of the Evolution of Viruses and Bacteria research group at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, the frequency of XBB.1.5 has doubled about every week.

However, the base is small.

If this trend continues, a share of three to six percent can be expected in the first half of January.

The Omicron variant XBB.1.5 is considered to be particularly contagious © Christian Ohde/imago

Omicron subvariant "Kraken": XBB.1.5 could spread in Germany in the coming weeks and months

However, according to other experts, XBB.1.5 could spread in Europe and Germany in the coming weeks and months.

"One can say with some prognostic certainty that the variant will also become the dominant variant for us," said the Bremen epidemiologist Hajo Zeeb.

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But there is no cause for great concern.

“We are seeing a little more cases in the USA, but there is no gigantic wave going on there.” Zeeb also sees an even higher infectivity with XBB.1.5.

"It had already been developed at Omikron, and now XBB.1.5 tops it again."

Omicron subvariant "Kraken": Development in Germany should be closely monitored

And what does the subline mean specifically for Germany?

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has already expressed concern about XBB.1.5.

Last week he tweeted: "Hopefully we can get through the winter before such a variant can spread to us."

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The fear is substantiated by Zeeb: "XBB.1.5 is encountering a decreasing immunity of people whose vaccination or infection was a long time ago." However, the number of XBB.1.5 detections in Germany is currently still very low.

"You don't have to think about new measures yet." It is important to monitor developments closely.

Luka Cicin-Sain, virologist at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, on the other hand, recommends a booster vaccination with vaccines adapted to Omicron for all those at risk and for seniors.

This could also help against "kraken".