The astonishing spread of the “XPP 5.1” mutant, also called “Kraken”, the latest and most ferocious variant of the Omicron strain, has led WHO experts to issue a warning of a potential wave of coronavirus spreading in the United States.
The astonishing spread of the “XPP 5.1” mutant, also called “Kraken”, the latest and most ferocious variant of the Omicron strain, has led WHO experts to issue a warning of a potential wave of coronavirus spreading in the United States.
Although the risk is not yet clear, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical officer for Covid-19, confirmed that although the risk is not yet clear, it is “the most transmissible form of omicron to date.”
This wave of infections could cause disruption amid an already historically poor respiratory virus season, and continue to increase hospitalizations, particularly among the elderly and those who are immunocompromised.
CDC estimates so far show that the XBB 5.1 variant accounted for 18.3 percent of cases for the week ending Dec. 31, 2022 and 27.6 percent of sequential cases for the week ending Jan. 7.
This comes at a time when antibodies have become largely ineffective against the current variables of the Covid-19 epidemic, according to media sources specialized in health affairs. Meanwhile, pandemic-era investments in surveillance of new viruses, vaccines, and treatments are declining.
Reports indicate that the public has largely abandoned strategies to limit the spread of the epidemic, such as wearing masks, and that re-vaccination was much less than what was agreed upon by the vaccination centers.
