Omicron has a new variant cousin, BA.2. But don’t panic, experts say.
- Cases of omicron BA.2 have been reported in at least four states – California, New Mexico, Texas and Washington – and on three other continents.
- The newer variant, like the original omicron, has many mutations, including about 20 variations in the region targeted by most COVID-19 vaccines.
That’s right, a new variant of the omicron is spreading across at least four continents. But, no, it’s not a cause for panic, Massachusetts scientists said Tuesday.
Unlike two years ago when people first learned about COVID-19, there are now many tools to combat the disease, and like its cousin, omicron BA.2 is believed to be will be relatively light.
“I don’t think it will cause the same level of chaos and disruption, morbidity and mortality as BA.1,” said Dr. Jacob Lemieux, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. . “I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll continue to move to a better place and hope that a place where each new variant on the horizon is not news.”
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While COVID-19 cases have started to decline in places like Massachusetts, where omicrons were hit hard late last year, BA.2 cases are on the rise in the Philippines, India, Denmark and South Africa , Lemieux said. Cases have also been reported in the US – so far in California, New Mexico, Texas and Washington State.
It remains unclear whether BA.2 will push out the original omicron variant, now known as BA.1, he said.
In Denmark, for example, the rise in BA.2 is coming as BA.1 declines, but they are currently splitting around 50-50, so “it’s not clear which of these variations is driving the outbreak.” “, said Lemieux.
Meanwhile, in South Africa, where cases have dropped dramatically after a sharp spike around Thanksgiving, BA.2 is now more common than BA.1.
“What we don’t know and have almost no information on is what impact this will have on the number of cases, the number of hospitalizations and the number of deaths,” he said.
Jeremy Luban, professor of molecular medicine, biochemistry & molecular pharmacology at UMass School of Medicine, says scientists still know very little about BA.2 transmission compared with BA.1.
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Lemieux, Luban and other health experts made their comments Tuesday during a weekly call with the media organized by the Massachusetts Association for Disease Readiness.
It is too early to say whether BA.2 will escape the protection offered by vaccines or existing drugs, Luban said.
The newer variant, like the original omicron, has many mutations, including about 20 variations in the region targeted by most vaccines. BA.2 also has mutations not found in BA.1, may limit the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodieshe say.
“We don’t know what the implications of these mutations will be, especially in a population that has encountered BA.1,” adds Luban, adding that BA.2 may have its own Greek name, to distinguish it from omicron .
Many people catch omicrons even after being infected with the delta variant, but it is unclear whether someone who has caught omicrons is still susceptible to BA.2, said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, head of infectious diseases at Women’s Hospital female and Brigham said. at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Bruce Walker, director of the Ragon Institute at MGH, MIT and Harvard, which focuses on immunological research, said T cells, the immune soldiers that appear to prevent serious illness after vaccination, still have effective against BA.2.
“The T cells themselves can have a big influence on the disease process once someone is infected,” he said. “It’s encouraging at least from the T-cell side – they may not be protected from infection but (the vaccine) will help mitigate the disease.”
Lemieux said it is still unknown when or where BA.2 first appeared, although it appears to have split off from BA.1 a few months ago.
Although both variants first appeared in southern Africa, it is unclear whether they originated there or simply attracted public attention in that region, where explanations have been provided. Gene sequencing widely during the pandemic to track variations.
To go viral, a new variant must be more contagious – or just get lucky.
“We don’t know what factors are driving the spread of BA.2, whether it’s chance, whether it’s more intrinsically transmissible, whether it’s highly transmissible. more in the context of natural immunity against BA.1 or not – those are our answers” I’ll start getting through the coming weeks,” said Lemieux.
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“It will take time to figure out as we view it in different contexts as it spreads,” added Luban.
The reality, Lemieux said, is that while BA.2 will likely continue to spread for at least a few weeks in many parts of the world, “we are resistant to a virus that is to a large extent different from that of the virus. us two years ago.”
“Yes, we have some tough decisions. We have some evidence to gather. We can’t predict the future,” Lemieux said, noting that vaccines and drugs like monoclonal antibodies and antivirals reduced the risk of severe illness or death tenfold. COVID-19. “But I think we’re in an extremely optimistic place, despite all the transmissions, despite all the challenges ahead.”
Contact Karen Weintraub at [email protected]
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