XBB.1.5 "Kraken" is now driving up hospitalizations in the U.S. China still refuses to disclose the amount of people sick and dying from COVID-19. There are fears of a combined mutation from China and the West's XBB strains

While China shuts down any information about the biggest country COVID-19 breakout in history, with a reported that 100 million people have become infected in the Henan region alone. Which is unfolding as a virologist nightmare, as the more people who become infected with very close to no immunization from COVID, the virus in turn thrives to mutant into its newer and possibly unknown strain.  Vaccines do indeed help slow mutations down and/or make them less virulent.  And it is Omicron that has immerged as the the main variant, forever evolving into strains; some less severe than others.  Which overall shows the importance of vaccine boosters, more so the mRNA vaccines to protects against COVID.  China has not utilized mRNA vaccines to repel COVID, relying on a ineffective 'dead' virus sequence that probably is offering no protection at all to the Chinese population.  Sans, people deliberately becoming infected with the virus.

In October in 2022, when the Omicron variant XBB broke out in Singapore, I caught it (in Australia), I reported what it felt like in these posts.   After 4 vaccines doses, it wasn't a pleasant experience, mostly fever and neurological aftereffects.  There was no loss of smell or severe cough, it was just a beat down fever.   Well, the variant of XBB, XBB.1.5. titled "Kraken" is now the main Omicron variant driving up U.S. hospitalizations, please refer to Chart 1. 

China could already have widespread XBB.1.5. infections and if 'Kraken' does evade immunity in the West.   What newer mutations could occur from China?

It doesn't look good.