Two new variants of coronavirus are expected to take over and become the dominant strains in the UK, experts have warned.
The XBB.1.5 strain, which has received the nickname of the "Kraken" variant, has been causing concern in the USA for some months, and more recently made its way to the UK.
Currently, Covid-19 cases in the UK are mainly made up of BQ.1 and its sublineages, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
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But a risk assessment found that two variants, CH.1.1 and XBB.1.5 - both part of the Omicron family - are most likely to take over from BQ.1 as the next dominant variant in the UK, the Mirror reports.
It's thought subvariants of coronavirus are being nicknamed after mythological creatures, with the "Kraken" strain being renamed by evolutionary biologist Professor T. Ryan Gregory, the Independent reports.
Experts have warned that the new variant could pile more pressure on an already overstretched NHS as winter continues and health services battle increasing cases of the flu. But it has also been cautioned that there is no indication the XBB.1.5 strain causes more severe illness than previous variants.
Dr Meera Chand, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections, UKHSA said: "Through our genomic surveillance we continue to see evolution of variants in the Omicron family. UKHSA is constantly monitoring the situation and working to understand the implications for public health.
"Vaccination remains our best defence against future COVID-19 waves, so it is still as important as ever that people come forward and take up all the doses for which they are eligible as soon as possible."
It comes after the number of Covid infections reached its highest level since last summer. Figures from the Office of National Statistics showed the number of people likely to have coronavirus over Christmas was a huge 2.9million.
The concerning number is more than double the number at the start of December and the highest total since mid-July.
Michelle Bowen, ONS head of health surveillance, said infections have risen across the whole of the UK, with levels in Northern Ireland now at their highest since March 2022.
She added: "Across English regions, infections have increased in the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands, the East of England, the South East and the South West. Cases have also increased in those aged two to school Year 6, and those aged 50 years and over."
Around one in 20 people in England are likely to have had Covid-19 over the festive period, along with one in 18 in Wales and one in 16 in Northern Ireland.
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