The first case of COVID-19 Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 or ‘The Kraken’ (dubbed as such by international media) was detected in South Africa (SA) by the Network for Genomics Surveillance team at Stellenbosch University from a sample collected late in December 2022 (1) (2) (3).

What has been called a new variant in social media is actually BA.2.75, a sub-variant of Omicron that was first detected in India in May 2022.

Self-care means that every individual will aim to stay as fit as possible and to maintain a good physical and mental health status.