![[the brief]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HDI0!,w_80,h_80,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F464c4764-318e-40a5-b175-4258620614b5_400x400.png)
![[the brief]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HDI0!,w_36,h_36,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F464c4764-318e-40a5-b175-4258620614b5_400x400.png)
The Kraken variant is to blame, not China
The ultra-transmissible XBB.1.5 Kraken variant was first detected in the United States... not in China.
The latest ONS estimates published yesterday show that 2,967,400 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week of 2022, an increase of 108.6% in just 3 week…