By Suniti, Meron and Iranna
With the tripledemic dwindling, the rise of Kraken is worrying many Canadians. The majority of Canadians are vaccinated and many of them are starting to think COVID-19 isn’t a threat anymore or is gone already. However, there is a likelihood it will remain longer than expected.
The “tripledemic” threat is fading as Covid, RSV and flu are declining in hospitals.
Ever since OMICRON became the dominant Covid variant in the world, it's taken on many forms. First BA.1, then BA.5 and eventually others. The focus has now moved on to another scrambled string of letters and numbers, XBB.1.5.
This COVID subvariant named Kraken is on the rise. The virus is named after a sea monster. It has been identified as the most transmissible variant of Omicron by the World Health Organization.
It was responsible for 22% of the new Covid cases in Ontario in January 2023. If you’ve got COVID or any of its variants in the past, you need to be more careful as experts are worried about its ability to evade immunity from past infections.
In an interview with a York University professor from the department of Biology, Dasantila Golemi-Kotra, she explained the reason behind this as the virus being "more infectious, meaning it enters our cells faster".
"… The speed with which the XB.1.5 is spreading around the world actually is an indication that this strain, this sub variant is actually much more transmissible and there are a number of factors that seem to be involved."
The number of people wearing masks has decreased compared to 2020, and many have also started travelling and socializing. This could be one of the reasons for the virus spreading faster.
Canadian Public health officials are warning it’s “too early” to relax COVID-19 measures, keeping in mind the spread of Kraken. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) released its new guidelines in January 2023 which urges the continuation of booster doses as one of the best defenses against the new variant.
According to WHO, the variant has been found in 38 countries. It is dominant in the northeastern part of the US. According to the Centers for Disease Control, it accounts for about 40% of all cases.
Now, what are the symptoms of Kraken?
The symptoms seem to be about the same as the previous variants but much harder to detect.
25-year-old Mohamed Abdullahi, who was recently affected by Kraken, said he did not see it coming. “I was kind of shocked because I felt
pretty good otherwise.” In addition, he reported headaches, runny noses, chills, and other similar symptoms the next day.
"So I had headaches. I had a huge headache of course, I had a runny nose, a dry cough, I had chills, and I lost my sense of taste."
Possible Kraken symptoms include fever, chills, difficulty in breathing, fatigue, body ache, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, and runny nose.
Kraken is highly contagious, so it poses a risk to everyone. Certain vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and the unvaccinated, are at higher risk.
What precautions can I take to avoid the new variant?
Although the virus is new, the tools for fighting against it stay the same. Get vaccinated, continue to wear masks, avoid crowded areas, and wash your hands regularly.
Not only does this variant indicate that COVID-19 continues to evolve, but also that viruses can mutate in unexpected ways. There is a need for vaccine equity globally to prevent further evolutions.
Listen to our full conversation with Mohamed Abdullahi and biology professor Dasantila Golemi-Kotra below.
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