Covid-19: 'Kraken' Subvariant XBB.1.5 Gaining More Ground Nationally, CDC Warns

Omicron strain called XBB.1.5 which accounts for a large majority of COVID-19 cases from the New York tristate area through New England, is gaining more ground nationally.

The map above shows the percentage of XBB.1.5 cases nationwide by region (purple), with the highest percentage (82.7 percent) in the New York City tristate region.
Photo Credit: *CDC*

Joe Lombardi

01/15/2023 10:15 a.m.

Nicknamed the "Kraken" subvariant, it now makes up 43 percent of cases nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible form of COVID-19 that we know of to date and may be more likely to infect people who have been vaccinated or already had COVID-19," the CDC said in a statement posted on Twitter on Friday, Jan. 13.

According to updated CDC data released Friday, XBB.1.5 now accounts for nearly 82.7 percent of COVID cases in the tristate New York region and more than 70 percent of cases through New England. (See the image above.)

Most cases of the strain internationally so far have been in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Denmark, the World Health Organization said, noting 82 percent of cases internationally have been in the US in a rapid risk assessment statement released on Wednesday, Jan. 11.

This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.

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