South Africa has identified its first case of coronavirus infection caused by the new, highly transmissible XBB.1.5 variant.
Maria Van Kerkhove, Covid-19 technical lead at the World Health Organisation (WHO), this week called XBB.1.5 “the most transmissible sub-variant” detected so far in the pandemic.
Nicknamed the “kraken variant” by some for its ability to spread, so far there have been no significant differences in severity identified between cases caused by XBB.1.5 and those from other variants. The WHO plans an update assessment on the variant’s risk in the coming days.
The variant was discovered in gene sequencing carried out by researchers at Stellenbosch University from a December 27 sample, Tulio de Oliveira, head of a gene sequencing institute at the university, said on Twitter.
XBB.1.5 has quickly become the dominant strain in the US and has been detected in at least 28 other countries, according to the WHO.
The variant is yet to be identified in China, which is undergoing a surge in infections after relaxing strict controls that limit the effect of precious waves of Covid-19 in the country. No affect on cases, hospitalisations or deaths have been seen in South Africa so far, De Oliveira said.
XBB.1.5 is yet another offshoot of the globally dominant Omicron Covid variant. Omicron has outperformed the earlier Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta coronavirus variants since emerging in late 2021.
Omicron has also given rise to many more contagious sub-variants.
Symptoms of XBB.1.5 are thought to be similar to those of previous Omicron strains. Most people experience cold-like symptoms.
Source: BBC News, Bloomberg, News24, Moneyweb, Times Live, image from Twitter: @footnotesza