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 (This research has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal.)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.”

US

Trump pauses tariffs on most goods from Mexico and some from Canada

Published

2 hours ago

March 7, 2025

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Trump pauses tariffs on most goods from Mexico and some from Canada

Donald Trump has announced that most goods imported from Mexico and some from Canada are to be exempt from his trade tariff regime for at least four weeks, just days after the charges were imposed.

“We are working hard, together, on the border, both in terms of stopping illegal aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping fentanyl,” the president posted on his Truth Social platform after first relaxing his sanctions against Mexico.

He often gives both issues as reasons for the tariffs.

The latest climbdown came after he surprised financial markets 24 hours earlier by waiving tariffs against carmakers following pleas from motor industry bosses.

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The White House said that 62% of Canadian imports would still be subject to 25% tariffs because they were not compliant with a trade deal – USMCA (US Mexico and Canada) – struck in 2020.

News that Canadian goods which met the USMCA criteria were being spared tariffs until 2 April followed hours after the same concession was agreed between Mr Trump and his Mexican counterpart.

A tariff of 10% was to remain on potash – a fertiliser used by farmers – and Mr Trump added that the auto tariffs would definitely return next month.

The White House revealed some details. Parts due to flow into the US from Mexico and Canada as part of the manufacturing supply chain would not qualify for tariffs so long as they complied with the USMCA deal.

‘Rules of origin’ guidelines under the agreement allow goods to move between the three countries tariff-free if they qualify with a designation that they were made in North America.

US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick told Sky’s US partner network CNBC that, taken together, more than half of usual cross border trade volumes would be exempt under the expanded concessions.

He too signalled there were signs of progress in the dispute with America’s closest trading partners, saying each had worked hard to make progress in tackling imports of Fentanyl – blamed for high crime and deaths in US communities.

But Mr Lutnick explained that, as things stand, the reprieve would only last until 2 April when the Trump administration plans to impose reciprocal tariffs – on top of the 25% charges that came into force on Tuesday.

At the same time, Mr Trump is under intense pressure to relax his tariff regime permanently amid a backlash from US firms and financial market investors who fear it is self defeating.

A closely-watched forecast has even suggested that the threats of a trade war were enough to push the US economy into recession before Mr Trump took office.

The dollar has sunk in value and US government borrowing costs have risen on the back of the turmoil.

US stock markets were also feeling the pressure again with the tech-heavy Nasdaq on course to fall by more than 3% on the day.

It is widely expected that the European Union will be next to face tariffs – possibly from 2 April – after Mr Trump threatened action “very soon” just last week.

Commenting on the threat to the eurozone from such a move, the president of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde said on Thursday: “Just the threat of those tariff increases and potential retaliations are putting a brake on – on investment, on consumption decisions, on employment, hiring, all the rest of it.”

While Mr Trump has not issued a specific threat against the UK, her counterpart at the Bank of England Andrew Bailey told a committee of MPs on Wednesday that the US should work “multi-laterally” rather than bilaterally to resolve its disputes.

US

US ‘destroying’ international rules-based order by trying to meet Russia ‘halfway’, Ukraine’s UK ambassador warns

Published

2 hours ago

March 7, 2025

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US 'destroying' international rules-based order by trying to meet Russia 'halfway', Ukraine's UK ambassador warns

The United States is “finally destroying” the international rules-based order by trying to meet Russia “halfway”, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK has warned.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Washington’s recent actions in relation to Moscow could lead to the collapse of NATO – with Europe becoming Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s next target.

“The failure to qualify actions of Russia as an aggression is a huge challenge for the entire world and Europe, in particular,” he told a conference at the Chatham House think tank.

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“We see that it is not just the axis of evil and Russia trying to revise the world order, but the US is finally destroying this order.”

Mr Zaluzhnyi, who took over as Kyiv’s ambassador to London in 2024 following three years as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, also warned that the White House had “questioned the unity of the whole Western world” – suggesting NATO could cease to exist as a result.

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy scrambles to repair relations with US President Donald Trump following a dramatic row between the two men in the Oval Office last week.

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Mr Trump signalled on Tuesday that tensions could be easing, telling Congress he had received a letter from Mr Zelenskyy saying he was ready to sign a peace deal “at any time”.

But on the same day, the US president ordered a sudden freeze on shipments of US military aid to Ukraine, and Washington has since paused intelligence sharing with Kyiv and halted cyber operations against Russia.

Mr Zaluzhnyi said the pause in cyber operations and an earlier decision by the US to oppose a UN resolution condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine were “a huge challenge for the entire world”.

He added that talks between the US and Russia – “headed by a war criminal” – showed the White House “makes steps towards the Kremlin, trying to meet them halfway”, warning Moscow’s next target “could be Europe”.

US

Lesotho minister calls Trump ‘insulting’ for saying nobody has heard of country

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2 hours ago

March 7, 2025

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Lesotho minister calls Trump 'insulting' for saying nobody has heard of country

Lesotho’s foreign minister has said it is “insulting” for Donald Trump to say nobody has heard of the country.

In his address to the US Congress on Tuesday, the US president mentioned Lesotho while listing some of the foreign spending he had cut as “appalling waste”.

“Eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of,” Mr Trump said, drawing laughs in the Congress.

The president also appeared to struggle to pronounce the country’s name.

Lesotho’s foreign minister, Lejone Mpotjoane, said: “I’m really shocked that my country can be referred to like that by the head of state.

“Lesotho is such a significant and unique country in the whole world. I would be happy to invite the president, as well as the rest of the world, to come to Lesotho,” Mr Mpotjoane told the Reuters news agency.

He later told The Associated Press: “It is surprising and disappointing that he claimed no one knows Lesotho, especially given that the US has an embassy here.

“He should speak for himself and not generalise.”

The Trump administration has cut billions of dollars in foreign aid worldwide as part of the president’s America First policy.

Lesotho, which has a population of around 2.3 million people, has received American assistance for nearly 20 years through USAID, which gave it more than $44m (£34.1m) last year.

Mr Mpotjoane said while civil society organisations funded by the US embassy in Lesotho did work to support the LGBT+ community, the US also provided important funding to the country’s health and agriculture sectors.

The cuts have forced Lesotho’s HIV programme to lay off at least 1,500 health workers – about 7% of the country’s health staff – in what the government has described as a severe blow.

US aid has been credited with helping Lesotho provide life-saving treatment to more than 200,000 people living with HIV.

Mr Mpotjoane said the government was looking at how to become more self-sufficient.

“The decision by the president to cut the aid… it is [his] prerogative to do that. We have to accept that. But to refer to my country like that, it is quite unfortunate.”

This wasn’t the first time Mr Trump has reportedly been disparaging about Africa. During his first term, it was reported that he referred to African nations, as well as Haiti and El Salvador, as “shithole countries” – though Mr Trump denied this.

Elon Musk, a key adviser to Mr Trump and proponent of the foreign aid cuts in his role as head of the new department of government efficiency, has been trying to do business in Lesotho in recent months.

Mr Musk’s Starlink internet satellite service, a subsidiary of SpaceX, has applied for a license to operate in Lesotho. It is one of several African countries where the company is bidding to win contracts.

The Lesotho Communications Authority said last month it recently received Starlink’s bid for a 10-year license.

Prince Harry also co-founded the charity Sentebale to support children who live in extreme poverty or suffer from HIV/AIDS in Lesotho.