The sub-variant XBB.1.5 (called Kraken) is rampant in the United States. According to the latest projection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the last week it was responsible for 85% of infections nationwide. The other variants have almost disappeared, except for BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 which, together, reach 11.6%. After it began to spread on the east coast, where it now exceeds 90% of the prevalence, XBB.1.5 is now dominant throughout the country. To date, the spread of Kraken does not seem to have had an effect on the increase in infections or hospitalizations.
The US situation is unparalleled in the world. Although growing, according to the latest report from the World Health Organization, the XBB.1.5 variant accounts for 29.6% of shared genetic sequences globally. A percentage which, however, does not represent its effective global prevalence due to the different sequencing activities between the different countries.
In Italy, according to the latest flash survey by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità published on 17 February, XBB.1.5 is at 13.3%, a sharp increase compared to 1% in the previous survey of 10 January.
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