OMAHA- Infectious disease authority Dr. James Lawler is predicting a couple of “real ugly” months ahead due to the arrival of a new, more transmissible, more immunity-evasive variant of COVID-19. Lawler noted that the variant is already causing hospitalizations on the east coast and is destined to become dominant in the U.S.

“Its ability to spread in populations is dramatically higher than anything we’ve seen recently,” said Lawler, of the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The latest variant, Lawler said, has shown to be more highly transmissible and better able to evade immunity from prior infections and vaccinations. Lawler dubbed the new XBB. 1.5 variant “Super Kraken” because of the concerns it generates.

Already, more than 40% of cases in the U.S. are linked to the Super Kraken, he said. But, it accounts for 75% of cases in the New England states, where hospitalization rates are spiking. While the number of reported cases of COVID remains relatively low in Nebraska, Lawler said those statistics are really “bunk” because few people are getting tested and home tests aren’t being reported.

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