Covid-19 variant XBB.1.5: What Is the 'Kraken' and how dangerous is it?

XBB.1.5 is "the most transmissible sub-variant which has been detected yet," said the WHO's Covid-19 technical lead

A new Covid variant that was first detected last year has quickly become the dominant strain in the US — and picked up a creepy moniker along the way.
 

Nicknamed the "kraken variant" by some, it surged through the nation and has now been identified in at least 37 other countries, according to the World Health Organization. Is it more dangerous? Does it spread more easily? And how will it affect China’s Covid outbreak?

Here are all your questions, answered:

What is the new variant?
 

XBB.1.5 is a descendant of the omicron XBB subvariant — which is itself a cross between two