Kraken

XBB.1.5 is the latest variant of Covid-19 to be detected, the Ministry of Health says.

Vaccines are still expected to provide protection against severe disease from XBB.1.5, particularly in those who have received boosters, the ministry said. XBB.1.5 appears to be outcompeting other XBB sub-lineages and BQ.1.1 in the US. The list of new sub-variants appearing within New Zealand is lengthy and growing. * But there’s no indication yet that the sub-variant causes more severe illness than Omicron's other variants, WHO Covid response technical leader [Maria Van Kerkhove said recently.](https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/300778859/who-warns-of-most-transmissible-covid19-subvariant-questions-chinas-data)

ESR reported the whole genome sequencing results for two COVID-19 cases with XBB.1.5 late last week.

The XBB.1.5 variant of COVID-19, also known as Kraken, has been detected by whole genome sequencing in New Zealand., , The Institute of Environmental ...

It remains unknown how XBB1.5 will compete against other variants in a New Zealand context, and whether this could affect the level of COVID-19 circulating in the community in the coming months. So far, most Omicron variants have not demonstrated a change in severity of the disease, and there is no evidence at this stage to indicate XBB.1.5 causes more severe disease compared to other variants. XBB.1.5 appears to be outcompeting other XBB sub-lineages and BQ.1.1 in the USA. Many of these new subvariants are identified by their mutations, but it can take weeks or months to determine whether these mutations will allow a subvariant to out-compete others circulating in the community. You can have the medicine delivered by friends, whānau or the pharmacy’s delivery service. At the early stage of a new variant being identified in New Zealand, it is difficult to predict whether and when it will become established in the community.

The ministry says the Institute of Environmental Science and Research reported genome sequencing for two covid cases with XBB.1.5 late last week.

The official names for variants and subvariants—names such as SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7—come from the Pango naming system, which was fashioned by evolutionary ...

We’re not just arguing about the pandemic; we’re arguing about how to argue about the pandemic. Hardly anything about the pandemic has been a matter of universal agreement, but the present nomenclatural free-for-all seems to have taken us somewhere even more splintered, even more anarchic. This is certainly preferable to the sudden and unexpected emergence of a dangerous, drastically different variant. Ryan Gregory, an evolutionary biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph who is one of the leaders of a small, informal group of scientists that have taken it upon themselves to name the many subvariants that the WHO does not deem worthy of a new Greek letter. “If there is a new variant that requires public communication and discourse,” Jasarevic told me, “it would be designated a new variant of concern and assigned a new label.” Seven different Omicron sublineages now account for at least 2 percent of all infections, and none accounts for more than about 40 percent (though [XBB.1.5](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2023/01/latest-covid-omicron-subvariant-xbb15/672646/) is threatening to overwhelm its competitors). They’re trying to make the process more formal, but Gregory would prefer that the WHO take over and standardize the process. It’s great news that the ways in which the coronavirus has been mutating recently haven’t been significant enough to produce a whole new, widespread, and possibly far more worrisome version of itself that the world has to contend with. As baffling as they can seem, they follow a clear logic: Under the system, B refers to a particular COVID lineage, B.1 refers to the sublineage of B lineage, B.1.1 refers to the first sublineage of the B.1 sublineage, and so on. Unofficial epithets have come and gone throughout the pandemic—remember [“stealth Omicron”](https://www.nytimes.com/article/omicron-variant-ba2.html) and the [“Frankenstein variant”](https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/03/23/1088236568/when-2-coronavirus-variants-meet-inside-1-person-a-frankenstein-hybrid-can-be-bo)?—but these new ones are on another level of weirdness. These official names do not exactly roll off the tongue or stick in the memory, which became a problem when new variants of concern started to arise and the world began groping for ways to talk about them. The official names for variants and subvariants—names such as SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7—come from the Pango naming system, which was fashioned by evolutionary biologists in the early months of the pandemic to standardize variant-naming practices.

The XBB.1.5 variant of Covid-19, also known as 'Kraken', has been detected in New Zealand, says the Ministry of Health. Whole genome sequencing results for ...

But New Zealand has tools to reduce the impact of the new strain, says Wiles. But New Zealand had a high level of immunity due to high vaccine uptake and the recent wave of infections, says the ministry. "It remains unknown how XBB.1.5 will compete against other variants in a New Zealand context, and whether this could affect the level of Covid-19 circulating in the community in the coming months. "XBB.1.5 appears to be outcompeting other XBB sub-lineages and BQ.1.1 in the USA," says the ministry. "The detection of XBB.1.5 is not unexpected, following its recent detection in Australia and globally, and our Covid-19 response accounts for the emergence of new variants," says the ministry. The XBB.1.5 variant of Covid-19, also known as 'Kraken', has been detected in New Zealand, says the Ministry of Health.

By RNZ. The new Covid-19 subvariant known as Kraken has the potential to create a new wave of Covid-19 cases, epidemiologist Michael Baker says.

Asked to comment on reports that 90 percent of people in the province of Henan in China had been infected with Covid-19 recently, he said it was the pattern experienced in other countries early last year, however, China was experiencing “a grim situation” with the virus at present. “Those things only matter because it means it gives it a growth advantage, which is being seen in North America at the moment, so it’s outcompeting other variants and if it does that successfully in New Zealand as well then it could lead to another wave of infections.” It is based on a recombinant virus but it has added in a new genetic mutation which meant it could more easily escape people’s existing immunity and also had a better ability to bind with the ace receptors in the body, which made it more infectious.

The XBB.1.5 variant of Covid-19, also known as 'Kraken', has been detected in New Zealand, says the Ministry of Health. Whole genome sequencing results for ...

But New Zealand has tools to reduce the impact of the new strain, says Wiles. But New Zealand had a high level of immunity due to high vaccine uptake and the recent wave of infections, says the ministry. "It remains unknown how XBB.1.5 will compete against other variants in a New Zealand context, and whether this could affect the level of Covid-19 circulating in the community in the coming months. "XBB.1.5 appears to be outcompeting other XBB sub-lineages and BQ.1.1 in the USA," says the ministry. "The detection of XBB.1.5 is not unexpected, following its recent detection in Australia and globally, and our Covid-19 response accounts for the emergence of new variants," says the ministry. The XBB.1.5 variant of Covid-19, also known as 'Kraken', has been detected in New Zealand, says the Ministry of Health.

The new Omicron subvariant has the potential to create a new wave of Covid-19 cases, the epidemiologist says.

"Being up to date with boosters is the best thing you can do with all of these subvariants." Professor Baker said despite the ominous name, it was important to remember it was just another variant of Omicron although it had "some novel features which are of concern". The new Covid-19 subvariant has the potential to create a new wave of Covid-19 cases, epidemiologist Michael Baker says.

Editor's note: This page will be updated as new data about XBB.1.5 emerges. A new flavor of the omicron variant was identified in October 2022 and in the ...

[Kristian Andersen](https://www.scripps.edu/faculty/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. Barbara Mahon](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2012/docs/dpk-healthyliving-mahon-bio%201212.pdf) (opens in new tab), director of CDC's Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, told [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/xbb15-subvariant-cdc-reports-new-omicron-strain-taking-rcna63512) (opens in new tab). That figure jumped to 40% in the last week of December, [STAT reported](https://www.statnews.com/2023/01/03/covid-winter-surge-to-exceed-summer-peak/) (opens in new tab). 4 news conference](https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing---4-january-2023) (opens in new tab), WHO Director-General [Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus](https://www.who.int/director-general/biography) (opens in new tab) reported that XBB.1.5 is "on the increase in the U.S. [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions) (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. [bivalent boosters](https://www.livescience.com/faq-updated-covid19-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. "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. cases in the first week of the year. Genomic data submitted to the open access database [GISAID](https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/World/AllSamples/Past6M/variants/international-comparison?nextcladePangoLineage=XBB.1.5*&) (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. In the U.S., XBB.1.5 is beginning to gain dominance over other circulating omicron subvariants. (This research has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal.)

ghly contagious "recombinant" variant composed of two different BA.2 strains, the "kraken" variant has quickly become the dominant form of COVID in the U.S. ...

"They are seeing some increase in hospitalizations in older folks in the Northeast, but that seems to be at least based on what you know, I'm reading and hearing from folks, that seems to be based as much on the fact that they're seeing just a surge overall... and so with that increase, it seems like we're just seeing more older people get infected and if they're not up-to-date, especially with their vaccines, they are somewhat more likely to be hospitalized," she said during a Facebook Live last week. But more often now we are seeing people - especially if they're fully up-to-date, maybe it's their second time getting COVID, whatever it might be - we're seeing more people actually just have cold-like symptoms, less likely to have those flu-like, really feeling very sick, the high fevers." Currently, the variant is surging largely in the Northeast, where it makes up more than 75% of cases. I think, if anything, we are seeing it a little bit less likely to have the more severe symptoms," Arwady said. "It went from 4% of sequences to 40% in just a few weeks," Dr.

As cases of the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 increased in some countries, a Canadian evolutionary biologist says he saw the need for a nickname to spark ...

But right now, what we’re seeing is the things that have worked for all of Omicron over the last year are still things that are going to protect us from hospitalization, severe illness and death,” Henry says of measures like up-to-date vaccinations and masking in crowded indoor spaces. Henry says it can bind more easily to a specific protein called ACE2 in the back of the nose and throat where the SARS -CoV-2 virus enters the body, triggering infection. Kraken is the latest addition to the XBB family of subvariants and is a combination of two earlier subtypes. Viral evolution in the span of a couple of months is just light speed for someone like me.” And sometimes giving these types of mythical names creates a sense of fear that, hopefully, is not warranted. But she thinks a sea monster is not the best descriptor. This is going to come. The Centers for Disease Control estimates the subvariant makes up the majority of cases in that region. A sequence of letters starting with A are separated by a period followed by numbers indicating branches from a particular lineage. Bonnie Henry agrees the current naming system gets complicated. It involves a group of scientists that use a software program called Pangolin to track a variant’s evolutionary history. Gregory says he wants to offer clear information about the evolutionary trees of variants and how their linages are related.

With the rapid rise of a new variant of COVID-19, nicknamed “Kraken,” employers should take precautionary measures in their workforces to prevent ...

A new COVID-19 variant is causing concern among health care professionals. The XBB.1.5 variant, nicknamed “kraken,” is showing a rapid rise in hospitalization ...

Evidence shows that those who are up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations will continue to be protected against severe disease, hospitalization, and death – even with the latest variants. “The reality is that we are less protected now than we were previously in terms of vaccination,” says Dr. If you haven’t been vaccinated recently or haven’t received the bivalent vaccine, you are not well protected. As of last week’s data, over 27% of new infections in the United States are thought to be kraken. Even with prior infection within the last six months, you are most likely unprotected against the XBB.1.5 variant.” It’s also much more transmissible than the variants of SARS-CoV-2 that we encountered in 2020 and 2021. That means this variant is better at evading prior immunity and vaccination. Regions of the United States affected early by kraken are experiencing a dramatic acceleration of hospital admissions. “Many people have not received a vaccine dose in over a year. The proportion of the kraken variant is doubling weekly in areas where it is spreading. Hospitalization rates are rising rapidly in areas where the kraken variant is spreading. The kraken variant is a descendent of the XBB variant, nicknamed gryphon.

Two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum will meet Monday as the Seattle Kraken visit the Montreal Canadiens.

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Some call it SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5. Others prefer a catchier nickname: “Kraken”. The latest coronavirus subvariant battling for global ...

[not thought ](https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-covid-xbb/fact-check-no-evidence-covid-19-omicron-xbb-variant-has-higher-mortality-rate-or-is-five-times-more-toxic-than-delta-idUSL1N3271RH)to have caused more severe illness than in previous iterations. The WHO does not name subvariants. Even this has unintended consequences: In naming Omicron, the WHO skipped over Xi, a common name notably shared by China’s leader It was designed by and for scientists to track the evolution of a virus, not to give snappy names to use in news headlines. XBB was a hybrid of BA.2.75 and BA.2.10.1. Each dot represents a new generation in the lineage. The kraken, in Scandinavian folklore, is a giant, octopus-like sea monster that can destroy ships with its sprawling tentacles. That was partly due to an * [Covid-19: New variant nicknamed 'Kraken' detected in New Zealand](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/300780666/covid19-new-variant-nicknamed-kraken-detected-in-new-zealand?rm=a) [used the “Kraken”](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/300780666/covid19-new-variant-nicknamed-kraken-detected-in-new-zealand) term, in its announcement that XBB.1.5 had been detected in New Zealand. [Centaurus](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/explained/300639752/covid19-what-we-know-about-the-centaurus-ba275-variant-in-new-zealand)”.

The Kraken played just about their finest period of the season to open the game against Montreal and Martin Jones secured the shutout.

That save looked even bigger as the second period began and the Canadiens started beating the Kraken to loose pucks early. Things got chippy in the latter part of the game as Joel Armia took a run from behind at Dunn and sent him flying face first into the boards. The Kraken, for lack of a better description, had effectively been holding on for dear life in the opening minutes of their most recent contests against Toronto and Ottawa.

Vince Dunn and Eeli Tolvanen each had a goal and an assist, Martin Jones stopped 21 shots for his second shutout of the season as the Seattle Kraken beat ...

The Canadiens announced a few hours before the game that goaltender Jake Allen suffered an upper-body injury. Seattle opened the scoring at 6:54 of the opening period when Dunn found Tolvanen with a cross-ice pass through the slot. Sprong doubled the Kraken’s lead on the power play with a heavy shot from the point just past the midpoint of the period.

The Seattle Kraken continued their perfect start to 2023 with a 4-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.

Dunn also connected on a slap shot from the point to give Seattle a 3-0 lead by the first intermission. Seattle opened the scoring at 6:54 of the opening frame when Dunn found Tolvanen with a cross-ice pass through the slot. "If you play a game where you're involved, you compete and then you lose, that's part of the game," St. "You won't win them all but it's performances like that in the first period that bother me. And I think it's just the confidence that's trickling through the lineup." The Kraken have also outscored the opposition 26-8 in the process while improving their record to 23-12-4.

The Kraken now lead the league in road goals with 82 – courtesy largely of 22 scored over the four most recent contests.

…The Kraken are the only NHL team in which all of its defensemen have scored at least four goals. “We’re not chipping the puck in for no reason,” Gourde said. Tolvanen benefitted from some of Gourde’s forechecking in the opening period. Before, the team was often just dumping the puck into the zone for no reason and trying to chase after it randomly. “It’s going to be very difficult because those guys are very good and they’re going to find their place. When asked after Monday’s morning skate about the Kraken’s play during a win streak now at five games, Gourde made a point about forechecking being critical to the team’s offensive success.

Matty Beniers, Vince Dunn and Eeli Tolvanen each had a goal and an assist, and Martin Jones needed to make just 21 saves for his second shutout of the ...

Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan McLeod and Connor McDavid replied for the Oilers, who are in a 1-3-1 skid. Roman Josi and Jeremy Lauzon also scored for the Predators, who are on a four-game winning streak and a 5-0-1 run that's pulled them into the playoff race. Zack MacEwen, Noah Cates and Wade Allison each added one goal for the Flyers. Montreal, which has just two wins and five points in its last 13 contests, failed to record double-digit shots in any period while being shut out for the third time this season. He was solid nonetheless in allowing two or fewer goals for the fourth time in five starts and posting his 27th career shutout. Sam Montembeault stopped 37 shots for the Canadiens, who were unable to build on Saturday's 5-4 victory over St.