The ‘Kraken’ Virus Is Here. What’s the Threat Level? | The Tyee
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Emerging research on the COVID variant sounds alarms about contagiousness, severity and health-system impact.

A group of U.S. researchers has modelled where society’s current path — an unmitigated spread of COVID — would lead. They concluded that unfettered transmission could result in death tolls exceeding 100,000 a year in the U.S. alone. “Endemicity is not a victory,” they added.

:doomer:

  • Simferopol [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    SARS-CoV-2 subvariants BQ.1.1 and XBB.1 have been circulating globally with superior growth advantages over most Omicron mutants (Fig. S1A). However, XBB.1.5, a subvariant of the recombinant mutant XBB, has recently shown a substantial growth advantage over BQ.1.1 and XBB.1. XBB.1.5 has rapidly become the dominant strain in the United States and is highly likely40 to cause the next global wave of COVID-19 with the enhanced transmissibility (Fig. S1B) 1. XBB/XBB.1 is already demonstrated to be extremely evasive against the neutralization of plasma/serum from vaccinated or convalescent individuals and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), even stronger than that of BQ.1.1

    :agony-wholesome: Its coming :lets-fucking-go:

    https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.03.522427v1.full.pdf

    • sexywheat [none/use name]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Wasn't omicron already shown to be like the most contagious, transmissible virus EVER - by far? And this exceeds it?

      God damn.

      • UlyssesT [he/him]
        ·
        2 years ago

        The conclusion, more than ever, is that treat flow matters more than human life to :porky-happy: and :grillman: alike.