The new 'Kraken' Covid variant has been reported in the UK with health experts warning about the "ultra transmissible" strain. The variant, named officially as XBB 1.5, has already spread across the USA.
It comes as the World Health Organisation has expressed concern over the new strain. Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical lead for Covid, 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.” According to Covid monitoring app Zoe, the most commonly reported symptoms include a sore throat, blocked nose and runny nose.
