A new strain of Covid looks set to spark a fresh wave of coronavirus across the UK and is likely to result in more people going to hospital, according to experts. The Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is now the dominant strain in the USA with 40% of Covid cases linked to the mutation - up from 4% at the start of December.
A number of cases of the variant have been detected in the UK, reports the BBC. Prof Wendy Barclay from Imperial College London told the BBC that XBB.1.5 has a mutation known as F486P, which allows it to evade immunity and spread more easily.
Scientists from the World Health Organisation say XBB.1.5 has a "growth advantage" above all other sub-variants seen so far. The UK Health Security Agency is to release a report on variants and subvariants in the UK next week.
