The Health Department is still investigating the newly detected Covid-19 variant.

Dubbed ‘the Kraken‘, the variant is believed to be highly transmissible and was first detected in the Western Cape following a gene sequencing carried out from a 27th December sample.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the sub-variant called ‘xbb 1.5’ has been detected in 28 other countries, with the strain being more dominant in the United States.

The variant is yet to be detected in China – which has seen a surge in positive Covid-19 cases.