The ‘Kraken’ subvariant: What to know about omicron descendant XBB.1.5

Published

2 years ago

January 10, 2023

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Editor’s note: This page will be updated as new data about XBB.1.5 emerges.

A new flavor of the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was identified in October 2022. In the past several weeks, it has steadily gained prominence in the United States. The subvariant is known as XBB.1.5 but has also been given the unofficial nickname “Kraken,” after the mythical sea monster.

Here’s what we know so far about XBB.1.5 so far.

Related: Most widely used COVID-19 vaccines and how they work How did XBB.1.5 emerge and where is it spreading?

Scientists first identified XBB.1.5 in New York state in October 2022, The New York Times reported (opens in new tab) .

The subvariant stems from a broader branch of the omicron family tree known as “XBB,” which emerged as a result of two earlier versions of omicron — BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 — swapping genes, according to the World Health Organization (opens in new tab) (WHO). These closely related omicron subvariants had the opportunity to swap genes when they infected the same person at the same time.

From their two parents, XBB viruses gained mutations that helped them evade protective antibodies gained through prior COVID-19 infections and through vaccinations. But there was a tradeoff: XBB viruses simultaneously lost some of their ability to bind tightly to cells, a key step in infection, the New York Times reported. This may explain why other versions of omicron initially outcompeted XBB viruses.

However, as XBB viruses spread, they picked up new mutations and XBB.1.5, a.k.a. the “Kraken,” was born. The Kraken harbors a mutation called F486P, which appears to restore the virus’s ability to tightly latch onto cells, researchers reported Jan. 5 in research posted to the preprint database bioRxiv (opens in new tab) . (This research has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal.)

In a Jan. 4 news conference (opens in new tab) , WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (opens in new tab) reported that XBB.1.5 is “on the increase in the U.S. and Europe and has now been identified in more than 25 countries.” Genomic data submitted to the open access database GISAID (opens in new tab) shows that U.S., U.K., Austria, Denmark, Canada, Israel and Germany have detected the most XBB.1.5 sequences so far, and that the subvariant remains relatively rare elsewhere. How easily does it spread?

Available evidence suggests that XBB.1.5 is the “most transmissible” omicron descendent yet detected, Maria Van Kerkhove (opens in new tab) , the WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, said at a news conference on Jan. 4, according to The New York Times. In the U.S., XBB.1.5 is beginning to gain dominance over other circulating omicron subvariants.

In early December, the Kraken made up an estimated 2% of all COVID-19 cases in the U.S., The Washington Post reported (opens in new tab) . That figure jumped to 40% in the last week of December, STAT reported (opens in new tab) .

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (opens in new tab) (CDC) have not yet analyzed all the data from early January 2023, but their current projections suggest that XBB.1.5 accounted for more than 27% of U.S. cases in the first week of the year. In the northeastern U.S., where XBB.1.5 was first detected and remains most common, the subvariant accounts for more than 70% of new cases, according to The Washington Post.

That said, nationwide, other flavors of omicron — namely BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 — were still circulating at comparable levels to XBB.1.5 during the first week of January, the CDC’s projections suggest.Is XBB.1.5 more likely to cause severe disease?

Scientists will need to see many weeks of hospitalization and death data before determining whether XBB.1.5 is more likely to trigger severe disease compared with earlier versions of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

As the U.S. experiences a nationwide surge in COVID-19 infections, “we’re seeing hospitalizations have been notching up overall across the country,” Dr. Barbara Mahon (opens in new tab) , director of CDC’s Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, told NBC News (opens in new tab) . “They don’t appear to be notching up more in the areas that have more XBB.1.5,” which hints that the subvariant isn’t necessarily more likely to cause severe disease than its predecessors. How well do boosters and treatments work against XBB.1.5?

Early data suggests that the so-called bivalent boosters — the two recently updated boosters made by Moderna and Pfizer — offer decent protection against XBB viruses, despite the lineage’s ability to evade antibodies, according to a Dec. 21 report in the New England Journal of Medicine (opens in new tab) .

“Lab studies suggest that the bivalent vaccine is still effective in protecting against severe disease, though perhaps not as much against infection,” Andy Pekosz (opens in new tab) , a professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said in a statement (opens in new tab) . “XBB.1.5 is derived from the omicron variant BA.2, and while the current bivalent vaccine was developed for the BA.5 variant, it has been shown to generate antibodies that recognize BA.2,” he said.RELATED STORIES—COVID-19 may trigger diabetes by causing fat cells to go haywire

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“Things like boosters are always beneficial,” Kristian Andersen (opens in new tab) , a professor in the department of immunology and microbiology who tracks coronavirus variants at the Scripps Research Institute, told The Washington Post. “Even if you get infected, you are expected to have less viral load, and you are expected to be able to transmit the virus less.”

(Notably, as of Jan. 4, less than 16% of eligible U.S. residents had received a bivalent booster, the CDC reported (opens in new tab) .)

Palxovid, an oral antiviral pill used to treat COVID-19, will be effective at treating infections with XBB.1.5, The New York Times reported. The pill may not be prescribed to all COVID-19 patients, as it’s not compatible with certain medications, Pakosz noted, “but overall, for the vast majority of people, Paxlovid is still a good drug to be prescribed if you get COVID-19.”

Entertainment

French woman faces online mockery after being conned out of £700,000 by fake Brad Pitt

Published

57 mins ago

January 16, 2025

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French woman faces online mockery after being conned out of £700,000 by fake Brad Pitt

A French woman has been mocked on social media after losing more than €830,000 (£700,000) to scammers posing as the Hollywood actor Brad Pitt.

The 53-year-old interior designer, known only as Anne, thought she was in a year-long romantic relationship with the Fight Club and Ocean’s Eleven star.

But after opening up about her ordeal to reporters, she suffered so much trolling that the French television channel TF1 had to pull her interview.

“The story broadcast this Sunday has resulted in a wave of harassment against the witness,” TF1 presenter Harry Roselmack wrote on X.

“For the protection of victims, we have decided to withdraw it from our platforms,” he added.

At the time of the broadcast, Anne was reported to have been suffering from severe depression.

Anne told TF1’s Seven to Eight show that, after starting to use Instagram for the first time, she was contacted by someone posing as Pitt’s mother.

“She told me that her son needed someone like me,” Anne explained. The scammers messaged her again several days afterwards, this time posing as Brad Pitt.

Anne said she began talking to the fake version of the actor sometime in February 2023 on different social media and messaging platforms, including WhatsApp.

Images from the TF1 programme have been widely shared online, showing a number of AI-generated images of Brad Pitt in hospital, designed to trick Anne in believing she was interacting with the 61-year-old actor.

‘I really didn’t understand’

“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it’s ridiculous,” Anne explained to TF1. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”

Scammers began requesting money, telling Anne that Brad was in hospital with kidney cancer and needed money for treatment. He claimed his bank accounts were frozen during divorce proceedings with ex-wife Angelina Jolie.

She eventually agreed to transfer a large sum of money to a Turkish bank account after receiving an email from the fake star’s “doctor”.

Scammers ‘deserve hell’

Anne said she finally realised she had been scammed after she saw pictures of the real Brad Pitt with his current partner, Ines de Ramon.

“I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this?” she told TF1. “I’ve never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell.”

Police are investigating the scam, but the interview has triggered some social media posts making jokes at Anne’s expense.

French newspaper Sud Ouest reported that Anne was going through divorce proceedings with a millionaire entrepreneur at the time and needed hospital treatment for severe depression following the scam.

A spokesperson for Brad Pitt told Sky News: “It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities.”

They added it was “an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence”.

Environment

Biden’s $635M good-bye, Trump’s DOT pick will investigate Tesla, and a look ahead

Published

1 hour ago

January 15, 2025

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Biden's 5M good-bye, Trump's DOT pick will investigate Tesla, and a look ahead

On today’s episode of Quick Charge we explore the uncertainty around the future of EV incentives, the roles different stakeholders will play in shaping that future, and our friend Stacy Noblet from energy consulting firm ICF stops by to share her take on what lies ahead.

We’ve got a couple of different articles and studies referenced in this forward-looking interview, and I’ve done my best to link to all of them below. If I missed one, let me know in the comments.

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Environment

In December, EV sales were still up and incentives were still sweet – Kelley Blue Book

Published

2 hours ago

January 15, 2025

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In December, EV sales were still up and incentives were still sweet – Kelley Blue Book

December-EV-salesKelley — Chevy Equinox EV (Source: GM)

EV sales kept up their momentum in December 2024, with incentives playing a big role, according to the latest Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book report.

December’s strong EV sales saw an average transaction price (ATP) of $55,544, which helped push the industry-wide ATP higher, according to Kelley Blue Book. The December ATP for an EV was higher year-over-year by 0.8%, slightly below the industry average, and higher month-over-month by 1.1%. Tesla ATPs were higher year-over-year by 10.5%.

Incentives for EVs remained elevated in December, although they were slightly lower month-over-month at 14.3% of ATP, down from 14.7% in November.

EV incentives were higher by an impressive 41% year-over-year and have been above 12% of ATP for six consecutive months. Strong sales incentives, which averaged more than $6,700 per sale in 2024, were one reason EV sales surpassed 1.3 million units last year, according to Cox Automotive, a new record for volume and share.

(My colleague Jameson Dow reported yesterday, “In 2024, the world sold 3.5 million more EVs than it did in the previous year … This increase is larger than the 3.2 million increase in EV sales from the previous year – meaning that EV sales aren’t just up, but that the rate of growth is itself increasing.”)

Kelley Blue Book estimated that in December, approximately 84,000 vehicles – or 5.6% of total sales – transacted at prices higher than $80,000 – the highest volume ever. KBB lumps gas cars and EVs together into this luxury vehicle category, so this is where Tesla Cybertruck is slotted.

However, Tesla bundles sales figures of Cybertruck with Model S, Model X, and Tesla Semi(!) into a category it calls “other models,” so we don’t know for sure exactly how many Cybertrucks Tesla sold in Q4, much less in December. However, Electrek‘s Fred Lambert estimates between 9,000 and 12,000 Cybertrucks were sold in Q4, and that’s not a stellar sales figure.

What will January bring when it comes to EV ATPs? What about tax credits? Check back in a month and I’ll fill you in.

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