Yeah, give it a loaded, scary name.
The 40% thing was flagged as a likely artefact at the time and has since been identified as such by the CDC themselves. Another awful piece of journalism.What is Kraken? All we know about renamed Covid variant XBB 1.5
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called XBB.1.5 “the most transmissible sub-variant which has been detected yet”.
XBB.1.5 has now been found in 25 countries and is a mutated version of Omicron XBB, which was first found in India in August.
XBB can get past the body’s immune system and XBB.1.5 is just as able at doing so. It is also better at “binding” to cells, so it can spread with much more ease.
The US saw the XBB.1.5 variant go from making up just four percent to 40 per cent of Covid cases in the space of just a couple of weeks.
Scientists in the US believe think the new sub-variant is at least in part to blame for the rise in hospital admissions in New York.
Whether or not the so-called Kraken will trigger a new Covid surge in the UK remains to be seen, but reports suggests that a rise in cases may well be seen.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-varient-kraken-explainer-uk-b2259595.html
In the Northeast US, including Massachusetts XBB1.5 is estimated to be around 80% of new cases as of right now, and our wastewater measures are falling precipitously. It's a little early to say we're out of the woods, but hospitalization appears to have peaked also, and far below the levels of the original omicron wave from this time last year.
Does the vaccine even work against all these new variants?
Does the vaccine even work against all these new variants?
It certainly works for topping up those Pharma profits, as will the next booster, and the next booster and the next b..................
as does the sale of many other products that prevent serious illness and death in the population…..
Very few ever had that long. The old process was why we mainly had vaccines for the slow mutating DNA viruses like smallpox. Some of the old vaccines have become largely ineffective, like the BCG against TB.Indeed they do, but with vaccines they would have had 10 - 15 years of research before approval and release to the general public
Indeed they do, but with vaccines they would have had 10 - 15 years of research before approval and release to the general public