All about Omicron Kraken, the ‘most transmissible version of COVID’

The “most transmissible version of COVID,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO), has been identified in at least 29 countries, including India. It is a new version of Omicron, the XBB.1.5, a highly contagious “recombinant” variant spawning from two BA.2 variants. Nicknamed the “Kraken variant,” it can infect even those vaccinated.

XBB.1.5 has descended from the Omicron XBB, which is a cross between BA.2.75 and BA.2.10.1. It was first detected last year and is now the dominant strain in the US. So, how dangerous is the Kraken variant and how did it get its name? Here’s an explainer.

How Kraken got its name

An expert group within the WHO has been naming the different COVID variants using the Greek alphabet. They named the previous strains, such as Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron.

However, last year, the COVID virus stopped spawning entirely new variants and began evolving only within Omicron. The WHO stopped naming them using Greek letters, arguing that these new variants did not warrant nicknames because they were not so different from each other.

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However, Omicron has kept spawning more easily transmissible and evasive new strains that can dodge vaccination and immunity from prior infection. Dr Ryan Gregory, a biology professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, believes that using the umbrella term “Omicron” just isn’t enough.

One of Omicron’s multiple variants includes the XBB.1.5. These names, containing a mix of alphabets and numbers, are known as “Pango.” People like Dr Gregory believe that because of these convoluted names, people do not realise it even if a new Omicron strain poses a fresh threat.

Therefore, to better communicate the evolving Omicron threat to the public, Dr Gregory has taken it upon himself to offer “street names” for complicated COVID strains. He has named the XBB.1.5 after the mythological sea monster from Scandinavian folklore, kraken.

That is not all. Gregory has compiled a list of monikers for other Omicron versions, too, including Chiron, Argus, Basilisk, and Typhon.

Why Kraken can’t be ignored

The XBB.1.5 or Kraken strain can attach itself better to the human ACE-2 receptor, binding more easily and boosting transmissibility, while retaining the remarkable immune evasiveness of Omicron. WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove, said during a press conference that XBB.1.5 was “the most transmissible sub-variant which has been detected yet.”

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According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, 41 per cent of cases in the US are Kraken infections. It has now spread to Europe, Australia, and South East Asia, including 29 countries. However, health authorities have warned that it could be much more widespread, thanks to a slack in testing.

The original XBB variant caused waves of infection in India and Singapore. Kraken is 120 per cent faster than the previous BQ1 variant, according to WHO.

The SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said on January 3 that India had five detected Kraken cases by then — three in Gujarat and one each in Karnataka and Rajasthan.

China is yet to report any domestic Kraken cases, though. Shanghai detected three infections but said all were imported cases. Two other Omicron strains — BA.5.2 and BF.7 — are dominating (97.5%) China’s COVID wave.

Is Kraken more dangerous than other variants?

The good news is that Kraken infections have not been reported to be more severe than the previous variants. However, it is attracting attention because of its ability to evade immunity.

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In a peer-reviewed article recently published in the journal Cell, scientists warned that subvariants like XBB pose “serious threats” to current COVID vaccines. The US, where the Kraken is causing the most damage, has a low vaccination rate unlike many other developed nations.

The WHO plans is yet to release any advisory on the variant’s risks and is expected to do so in the coming days. Any posts you may have seen online may be fake. For instance, a viral post in China claimed that the XBB variant may lead to vomiting and diarrhoea. Wary after the recent surge, people panic-bought anti-diarrheal medicines, but these are just rumours.

(With agency inputs)