Orthrus Variant More Dangerous than Other COVID-19 Variants

2. Dominate in Some Countries

New Zealand experiences the majority of current CH.1.1 cases. There, Orthrus is responsible for more than a third of the sorted cases. Other hotspots include Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea-comprising about a quarter of cases in each country. It was behind less than a fifth of cases in Cambodia and Ireland.

3. The Origin of Orthrus

CH.1.1 is a derivative of BA.2.75, a variant that was dubbed "Centaurus" this summer but ultimately failed to dominate. The most dominant COVID-19 strains today are either descendants of BA.5, which swept the world this summer, or BA.2.75.

"Family" variants are important to watch, experts say, because recent exposure to BA.2.75 or BA.5, or one of their spawn, may have more temporary protection against infection from those family viruses.