The latest Covid-19 variant, dubbed the most transmissible strain so far, has been detected in Ireland.
XBB.1.5, better known as Kracken, has been surging in the US recently and was detected in the UK just days ago.
It is understood that there is a very low presence of the strain so far in Ireland, however, it is estimated to be around 113% more transmissible than older strains.
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That's according to European health authorities, who say its dominance in the US does not mean it will have the same effect in the EU.
Up to Monday, January 9, less than five new cases were reported by Irish health officials, according to the latest figures published by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre said.
Across Europe, there is a risk this new variant “may have an increasing effect” on the number of cases, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warned.
However, it will take time, as the experts suggested: “Not within the coming month as the variant is currently only present at very low levels in the EU/EEA”.
They described XBB.1.5 as “a sub-lineage of XBB with an additional spike RBD mutation S486P".
The ECDC reassured people that: “The rapid growth in the US does not necessarily mean that the variant will become dominant in the EU/EEA, since major differences in variant circulation between North America and Europe have been observed several times during the pandemic”.
Prior to its arrival in Ireland, the World Health Organisation’s technical lead for Covid, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, expressed her concern about the rapid growth of the new variant.
Speaking at a press conference last week, she said: "We are concerned about its growth advantage in particular in some countries in Europe and in the US, particularly the Northeast part of the United States, where XBB.1.5 has rapidly replaced other circulating variants.
"Our concern is how transmissible it is… and the more this virus circulates, the more opportunities it will have to change”.
Meanwhile, Professor Lawrence Young from Warwick University told the Mail Online that the new variant will be a “wake-up call” to the UK.
He said: “The XBB.1.5 variant is highly infectious and is driving increased hospital admissions in New York, particularly among the elderly.
“Waning immunity, more indoor mixing because of the cold weather and lack of other mitigations, such as wearing facemasks, are also contributing to this surge of infection in the US.
“This is a wake-up call - a sharp reminder that we can't be complacent about Covid. The threat of XBB.1.5 and other Covid variants further exacerbates the current NHS crisis and stresses the need for us to remain vigilant”.
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