The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dropped stunning data Friday that put a damper on the rise of new COVID variant XBB.1.5—the so-called Kraken—and left it jockeying for dominance with competitor BQ.1.1, known as Cerberus. Experts maintain that Kraken variant will continue its rise, though, and that Friday’s data is a statistical blip.
Last week, the CDC had projected that XBB.1.5 comprised about 40% of cases in the U.S. With a doubling time of about nine days, according to the CDC’s European counterpart, many expected it to achieve dominance in the U.S. when the CDC updated its weekly COVID forecast Friday. But the figures shifted. On Friday, the CDC retroactively adjusted figures, blunting Kraken’s quick rise. It’s now projected that the new variant comprised about 18% of cases this week—and will comprise about 28% of cases in the coming week.
