News from Italy
Alien Covid: Now in our lives with Kraken
Vita gazette – The coronavirus pandemic, which entered our lives three years ago, continues to affect our lives. Like Alien, which went down in the history of cinema as a “creature that reproduces using the human body”, Covid continues to reproduce. Now the “XBB.1.5” variant, also known as “Kraken”, threatens the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Kraken “the most contagious virus seen since the pandemic began”.
The coronavirus pandemic, which entered our lives 3 years ago, has changed many things both in our individual lives and worldwide. While the world has seen relief this year thanks to widespread vaccination campaigns and natural immunity, a new variant that first appeared in New York in October has once again alerted the world.
In a statement by WHO, it was stated that the variant was concerned about the spread rate in Europe and the USA, and “BB.1.5 has quickly replaced other variants in circulation. “Our concern is how contagious it is… The more this virus circulates, the more opportunities it will have for it to change.”
Seen in 29 countries
A “relative” of the hybrid form Gryphon, in the United States it has already taken over the previous versions of Omicron, spreading rapidly also in Europe, where another new wave of Covid is feared. The new variant has so far been spotted in 29 countries. More than 40% of coronavirus cases in the United States are estimated to be caused by XBB.1.5. This makes it the dominant species in the country.
More than on China, from where the health authorities do not currently fear repercussions from the Omicron variants that are fueling the wave of Covid in the Asian country, the attention of the experts is focusing on a new sub-variant of Omicron, called XBB. 1.5 and nicknamed “Kraken”, which in just one week has more than doubled the number of new cases of Covid in the United States. More than 40% of confirmed infections in the US are currently due to this new version of the virus, up from 20% a week ago, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the north-east of the country, from where this viral form has spread rapidly, infections due to XBB.1.5 have reached 75%.
The speed with which XBB.1.5 has taken over previous variants and sub-variants of Omicron is raising the concern of experts, who fear another new wave of Covid in Europe as well. Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, argues that “XBB.1.5 could be the new variant to watch out for in 2023” while US scientist Eric Topol professor of Molecular Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla California, noted that it has “never seen such rapid growth of a variant” since the original version of Omicron – classified as a variant of concern (VOC) by the World Health Organization (WHO) – emerged, now a year ago.
Masks and working from home are on the agenda
Maps showing the rate at which Kraken spreads have raised concerns about a new wave of infections. England, where 24 cases have been seen so far, has brought issues such as mask requirements and working from home to its agenda during the health crisis that has shaken the country. Health officials urged people to wear face masks in their warnings, and asked sick and immunocompromised people not to leave the house unless it is necessary. Germany announced that they wanted to survive the winter without entering the new variant countries, which spread rapidly in Europe, and warned its citizens to be careful.