Is 'Orthrus' in YOUR area? Time-lapse maps show the rise of the new Covid ... trends now
Covid variant Orthrus now accounts for one fifth of Covid cases in England, figures show.
Virus-tracking surveillance data shows the strain, scientifically called CH.1.1, has snowballed since it was first detected in November.
Health chiefs have warned it — or another Omicron lineage dubbed 'Kraken' — could soon become dominant.
The latter, known as XBB1.5, has sparked fears that it could trigger a Covid resurgence, piling even more pressure on the NHS at a time when it is being battered by its worst ever winter.
Maps, taken from the Sanger Institute, which tracks Covid variants in England using data from genomic testing, show Omicron spin-off Orthrus has spread up and down the nation as of January 7, the latest available data. It now accounts of 23.3 per cent of all Covid test analysed up from 1 per cent on November 12 when it was first spotted in Blaby in the south west of Leicestershire
Data from the Sanger Institute, one of the UK's largest surveillance sites tasked with analysing strains circulating in the UK, shows Orthrus, nicknamed after a mythical two-headed dog, accounted for 23.3 per cent of all Covid tests analysed in England on January 7, the latest data available.
Fascinating maps show it now accounts for 100 per cent of genomic tests of the virus in some broughs.
These include Northumberland, Bradford, Wakefield, Blackburn with Darwen, North West Leicestershire, Breckland, Central Bedfordshire, Oxford, Reading, Woking, Enfield, Havering, Sevenoaks, Carwely, and Adur.
It shows how far the new variant has come since when it was first spotted in Blaby in the south west of Leicestershire on November 12.
But the Sanger data is only based on hundreds of samples, meaning it does not reflect the true picture.
The majority of Covid-positive samples are not sequenced by the lab, which was analysing thousands every day during the height of the pandemic
Kraken, nicknamed after a mythical sea monster, currently accounts for 3.6 per cent of cases in England, according to the same data.
However, it was only spotted in mid-December.
While Orthrus is behind more infections, experts have said Kraken appears to be growing faster and is thought to be more transmissible and immune evasive than other strains in circulation.
UK Health Security Agency data suggested that Kraken has a 39 per cent growth rate advantage over BQ.1, the current dominant variant.
This chart, taken from the Sanger Institute, shows the growth of both Orthrus (salmon colour) and Kraken (purple) since November 12. However, Omicron strain BQ.1 (yellow) is still the dominant variant. Other Covid variants on the chart include other BA.5 sub-lineages (maroon), BA.2 (light blue) and BA.4 (thin orange line)
The latest ONS Covid infection survey shows that 4 per cent of England's population was infected on any given day last week — a drop from 4.5 per cent last week. In Scotland, levels increased by 3 per cent in Scotland to 219,600, meaning one in 25 people (4.1 per cent of the population) were infected in the week to December 31. Around 157,000 people in Wales (one in 18, 5.7 per cent) were thought to be carrying
