Editorial: The XBB.1.5 ('Kraken') Subvariant of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 and its Rapid Global Spread

Abstract

In November 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) first identified the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, B.1.1.529, as a variant of concern (VOC). By early 2022, the Omicron variant and its five lineages, BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4. and BA.5, had become the predominant cause of COVID-19 in most countries. The Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant is a sublineage of the XBB variant, a recombinant of two BA.2 sublineages, with the F486P mutation in the spike protein that increases infectivity due to increased binding affinity to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. On the week ending 21 January 2023, the XBB.1.5 subvariant caused 49.1% of cases of COVID-19 in the US. The rapid rise in the prevalence of this subvariant may be explained by immune escape to previous infection or vaccines, spike mutations in F486P, and increased affinity for the ACE2 receptor. Also, current booster vaccines may not provide adequate protection from infection from this subvariant, which has been named by the media as the 'Kraken' subvariant. This Editorial aims to present the current status of the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 and the reasons for, and implications of, its rapid global spread.