Corona: How dangerous is the XBB.1.5 variant found in more than 25 countries including India? learn

Corona has scared the world again. We recently saw how Kovid’s BF.7 variant wreaked havoc in China. Now another variant of this has worried. This is a sub-variant of Omicron, identified as XBB.1.5. Unofficially it is also known by the name of ‘Kraken’. This variant was first identified in October of last year. It was detected in New York, United States. Now this variant is spreading all over the world. Cases of this variant have also come to light in India. We are going to give you all the necessary information related to XBB.1.5.

The XBB.1.5 variant is derived from the XBB branch of Omicron

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), XBB.1.5 originated from the “XBB” branch of the Omicron family. From this, two more variants of Omicron BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 also came out. According to media reports, as Omicron’s XBB viruses spread, they spawned a new mutation, XBB.1.5, also known as “Kraken”. This variant reportedly has a mutation called F486P, which has the ability to keep cells tight.

Visible effect in America and Europe

Recently, WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the XBB.1.5 variant is spreading rapidly in America and Europe. So far it has been reported in more than 25 countries. These include countries like Austria, Denmark, Canada, Israel, and Germany, as well as the United States and Great Britain. So far 8 cases of this variant have been reported in India.

The XBB.1.5 variant spreads rapidly

The speed with which the new Corona variant XBB.1.5 spreads can be gauged by the fact that at the beginning of December it had a 2 percent share of Kovid cases in the US, which reached 40 percent. cent at the end of December. That is, approximately half of the Kovid cases reported in the United States were of the XBB.1.5 variant.

Are the vaccines effective?

However, it remains to be seen how serious Omicron’s XBB.1.5 variant can be compared to previous Corona variants. The good thing is that the current Kovid vaccine is also effective against this variant. According to a report in the New England Journal, early data suggests that updated boosters from Moderna and Pfizer provide protection against the XBB virus.