Highly contagious ‘Kraken’ variant of COVID-19 detected in San Antonio

Less than a week after appearing in Travis County, the highly contagious XBB.1.5 Omicron variant, dubbed the “Kraken,” has been detected in San Antonio, according to the Metropolitan Health District.

Kraken is the “most transmissible [coronavirus] subvariant that has been detected yet,” World Health Organization COVID-19 Technical Lead Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters during a press conference in Geneva this month. The strain’s nickname comes from the name of a mythical sea cryptid.

So far, the XBB.1.5 variant accounts for 80% of new cases in parts of the Northeastern United States, according to the CDC. Although cases remain low in San Antonio, Metro Health Deputy Director Dr. Anita Kurian anticipates the variant will become the dominant strain in coming weeks.

“The CDC forecasts that the XBB.1.5 Omicron variant will become the dominant strain in the country, and we expect to see that trend in Texas and locally in our community here as well,” Kurian told the Current via email.

Despite its transmissibility, Kurian said the Kraken doesn’t appear to be as severe as past variants.

San Antonio’s COVID-19 cases remain steady at press time, with 2,497 cases reported last week and one new death. Despite the risk level for community being upgraded to “medium,” the weekly number of new cases and hospitalizations remains comparatively low, according to Metro Health’s COVID-19 Dashboard.

To curb the spread of the new variant, Metro Health urges residents to stay up to date with vaccinations, mask up in crowded spaces and get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

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This article appears in Jan 11-24, 2023.