'Kraken' Might Become Dominant COVID-19 Strain In Europe Within 2 Months - ECDC

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th January, 2023) The XBB.1.5 subvariant of COVID-19's most prolific variant to date, Omicron, might account for more than 50% of infections in Europe within a month or two, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said Friday.

The subvariant, nicknamed "Kraken" on social media, emerged in the United States in October and has since been reported in 37 other countries. In the US, it has exhibited a daily growth advantage of 12%.

"Mathematical modelling performed by ECDC provides estimates of when XBB.1.5 might become dominant (i.e. causes more than 50% of infections) in the EU/EEA by using a broad range of scenarios with hypothetical values of the growth rate advantage and of the current proportions of XBB.

1.5 in the EU/EEA," the ECDC said in a threat assessment brief.

The US accounts for over 82% of the world's infections with XBB.1.5, followed by the United Kingdom with 8.1% and Denmark with 2.2%. In the US, more than 27% of all coronavirus infections were caused by the new subvariant.

The World Health Organization said in its rapid risk assessment report on Wednesday that variants of the XBB.1.5 belonged to the groups of the most immune-elusive Omicron subvariants. The assessment of disease severity is still ongoing, although the WHO said it did not carry any mutation known to increase severity.