I know the variant Krakenthe latest threat regarding Covid-19 is still contained in Italy while it is spreading at high speed in the United States, our country and Europe are also seeing a new ‘danger’ appear, Orthrus.
This is explained by the Higher Institute of Health (ISS), the Ministry of Health, regional laboratories and the Bruno Kessler Foundation in the framework outlined by thequick investigation of variants made on January 10th.
As for Kraken, there are 12 sequences compared to the only one from the previous survey. XBB.1.5, its ‘technical’ name, ”has shown an important diffusion advantage in the United States compared to the circulating variants, as a plausible consequence of the combination of a higher immuno-evasiveness and transmissibility – highlights the survey – At the moment there is no evidence correlated to a greater severity of the disease associated with XBB.1.5”.
But while Kraken therefore still does not seem to be dangerous in our latitudes, a new alarm comes from a much closer country: in the UK Orthruscoded CH.1.1 and as Kraken ‘daughter’ of the Omicron variant, is seen with worry.
Together with Kraken it shows significant growth and would be ready to oust Cerberus (BQ.1) from the throne of the current dominant variant.
Orthrus, highlights Repubblica today, was first identified in November 2022 and it spread rapidly through various counties of Great Britain, becoming dominant in Northumberland, Oxford and north-west Leicestershire. Limiting case is that of Blackburna city of 120,000 inhabitants in Lancashire, north-west England, where this variant is believed to have reached its 100% among the cases of positivity to Covid-19.
As highlighted by the survey by ISS, the ministry, regional laboratories and the Bruno Kessler Foundation, its characteristics “are under investigation” ma “Preliminary estimates conducted in the UK have shown a growth advantage of CH.1.1 over the currently predominant sub-lineage BQ.1.18”, i.e. Cerberus.
On Orthrus, which the World Health Organization (WHO) in the section “Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants” defines daughter of Centaurus (in turn ‘derivative’ of Omicron), with the addition of two significant mutations on the S protein, it is not yet clear if it is capable as a new variant of causing symptoms severe, nor if it can lead to a more serious infection or have a greater ability to evade Covid vaccines.
Coming from Omicron, Orthrus is also likely to strike mainly the upper respiratory tractcausing fever, cough and other effects similar to a flu state: however, British sector magazines also invite you to pay attention to symptoms such as runny nose, headache, fatigue, both mild and severe, and sore throat.
What is certain is that its progression is significant in the United Kingdom. All time Republic he cites data from the Ukhsa, which he reported as among all the swabs sequenced in the UK between 26 December 2022 and 1 January 2023, the Cerberus variant (BQ.1) had a prevalence of 51.3%; just followed by Orthrus al 19,5%.
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