Two new variants of Covid, including 'Kraken', are likely to become the dominant strain in the UK. The XBB.1.5 variant, commonly known as 'Kraken', has been spreading across the US in recent months.
Now, Kraken and the CH.1.1 variant are expected to be the UK's dominant strains of the virus. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said currently, most cases in the UK are made up of BQ.1 and its sublineages.
The Mirror reports CH.1.1 and XBB.1.5, which are both part of the Omicron family, are most likely to take over. 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.
Read more: Top Covid symptoms to look out for as UK cases reach highest level since last summer
"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.
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