Fortune
BY ERIN PRATER
January 27, 2023 at 4:42 PM EST
Omicron spawn XBB.1.5, also known as “Kraken,” now dominates the U.S. COVID variant scene, comprising an estimated 61% of cases, according to federal health data released Friday.
But there’s now a new player being tracked by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that could give Kraken a run for its money. CH.1.1, or “Orthrus,” was estimated to comprise 1.5% of U.S. cases as of Friday. Another Omicron spawn, it was named after a mythical two-headed cattle dog killed by Hercules, by Australian variant tracker Mike Honey.