Here's the latest variant picture for the Northern Territory, Australia.
After a gap of over a year, a couple of samples were recently shared from the NT.
The 2 samples are variants that are common elsewhere in Australia - XBB.1.16.* "Arcturus" and XBB.1.5.* "Kraken".
I've been banging on about this for over a year now, so it's great to see data sharing restart. Hopefully that can continue so we get a more accurate picture of the unique mix in this remote area with international air and sea ports.
Here's the latest variant picture for Western Australia.
The XBB.1.9.* "Hyperion" clan (31%) is battling with XBB.1.5.* "Kraken" variant (23%) for dominance.
XBB.1.16.* "Arcturus" (20%) is growing quite rapidly. Be alert for conjunctivitis symptoms, which seem more common with that variant.
The variant mix in WA continues to be uniquely chaotic, reflecting it's situation as a global crossroads. Even WA residents who've been racking up regular reinfections are likely to meet globally obscure variants capable of overcoming their immunity.
The sample volumes seem representative up to May 12.