"We may be tired of the virus, but the virus will not tire of us"
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On April 15, the World Health Organization said dozens of variants of the Amickon BA.4 and BA.5 subtypes were tracked worldwide. In addition to South Africa, the Omiljung BA.4 and BA.5 strains have appeared in 20 countries around the world.
On May 2, Dr. Faried Abdullah, a medical expert at the South African Council for Medical Research (SAMRC), said in a press conference that BA.4 and BA.5 appear to evade existing immune protections and may be more transmissible than BA.2.
In the coming period, two new variants of the newly discovered Omikejong mutant strain, A.4 and A.5, are likely to be the peak of a new wave of outbreaks.
South African experts say BA.4 and BA.5 may be more transmissible than BA.2 and BA.1
Immediately afterward, U.S. health experts confirmed that two new sub-variants of the Omikejong strain, BA.4 and BA.5, had begun to spread in the United States. Although current cases of infection with BA.4 and BA.5 account for a small percentage of the number of sequenced cases in the United States, these two variants have been listed as "worthy of attention" variants. Whether they will cause a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States remains to be seen.
Multiple new variants spread in the United States
People walk past the epidemic prevention signs in the Station of the World Trade Center in New York, USA
The BA.4 and BA.5 variants were reported to have been first identified in South Africa, with infected people aged between 30 and 50 years, all of whom have been vaccinated and have mild symptoms.
On April 29, Madison, an expert at the drug company Fractal Therapeutics who studies covid-19, confirmed that there are 12 cases of BA.4 variants and 5 BA.5 variants in the United States, according to the Global Influenza Shared Database (GISAID).
A week later, Andy, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, said in an interview that there have been confirmed cases of ba.4 variant infection in many U.S. states. "The variant has apparently begun to spread in the United States, but the exact scope of transmission is unclear."
In addition to the emerging BA.4 and BA.5, BA.2.12.1 is also spreading rapidly in the United States.
It is reported that BA.2.12.1 is the next generation of the BA.2 variant strain, and BA.2 is the dominant strain in the current new crown cases in the United States.
Since it was detected in New York state in February this year, BA.2.12.1 has occupied half of the new crown cases in New York and New Jersey.
Robert, a virologist at Tulane University, believes that the new crown virus may have more mutations that we cannot predict. "What we can be sure of at the moment is that it [the virus] is gradually increasingly contagious," he said. ”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the spread of BA.2.12.1 is about 25% higher than that of the BA.2 variant. The BA.2 variant spreads 66% faster than BA.1, and the Amicoreon strain BA.1 spreads 77% faster than the Delta strain.
U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Vronsky recently said that the impact of BA.2.12.1 on the effectiveness of the new crown vaccine is currently being studied. Vronsky also said that experts believe that people who have been vaccinated against the new crown, especially those who have received booster injections, can still get better protection against severe diseases even in the face of BA.2.12.1.
Michael, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, said that the mutation of the new crown virus is faster and wider than we initially expected, "As soon as I wake up every day, I am worried that a new variant has emerged." This is a reality that we have to face. ”
"We now need to actively consider whether a new vaccine should be used and develop a new vaccine as soon as possible." Jesse, a computational biologist at fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, also said the coronavirus is mutating at a fairly rapid rate.
Expert: Be wary of new variants!
South Korea's Central Epidemic Prevention Countermeasures Headquarters said at a press conference on May 3 that South Korea reported the first confirmed imported case of infection with the new coronavirus Amy Kejung subtype strain BA.2.12.1.
Yonhap News Agency reported that the case is a woman in her 50s who has completed three injections of covid-19 vaccination, she entered South Korea from the United States on April 16, and the next day she was confirmed to be infected, and has not yet developed abnormal symptoms. South Korea's epidemic prevention department initially speculated that there were 16 people close to the case, and they are currently under investigation, and no additional confirmed cases have been found.
BA.2.12.1 Is currently causing a rapid rise in infections in the United States and is a subtype of the BA.2 series known as the "Invisible Omi kerong". It is reported that the spread speed of BA.2 is 30% faster than that of Omikron, while the spread rate of BA.2.12.1 is about 23% to 27% faster than THAT of BA.2. South Korea's epidemic prevention department said it had not found evidence of its impact on the severe illness rate.
In addition, the United Kingdom also reported 5 cases of BA.2.12.1.
CovidGenomics UKConsortium (COG-UK), which monitors COVID-19 transmission in the UK, said the variant was first identified in the UK on 23 March.
It is worth noting that the first case of Infection with the Aomi Kerong BA.5 variant in Hong Kong, China, is a 24-year-old man who arrived from South Africa.
"Judging from the data of various countries, the strain is more contagious than the currently popular Omicron BA.2, but there are still relatively few cases worldwide." Yu Chuanhua, a professor of epidemiology and health statistics at Wuhan University, believes that any new strain will have more or less immune escape from the corresponding virus vaccine, and the farther the virus is related, the more serious the immune escape. In the prevention and control of overseas imports, it is necessary to improve the understanding and attention to the Aomi Kerong mutant strains BA.4 and BA.5, and we must not relax our vigilance.
South African scientists from multiple institutions studied the Aomi Kerong BA.4 and BA.5 subphysical strains and took blood samples from 39 infected people, 15 of whom had been vaccinated.
Scientists at the South African Genetic Sequencing Research Institute say that the new virus, the Semicken subtype variants BA.4 and BA.5, found in South Africa, are likely to be able to evade vaccines and the natural immunity of infected people.
Madison, an expert at the American drug company on the new crown, believes that although THERE are mutations in BA.4 and BA.5, the antibodies obtained after infection with BA.1 and BA.2 may still be useful for BA.4 and BA.5, so it is unlikely that the number of "explosive" confirmed cases will increase.
However, south African expert Turio disagreed. He believes that people who have previously been infected with the BA.1 variant are still very likely to be infected with BA.4 and BA.5. Turio posted on social media: "We may be tired of the virus, but the virus will not tire of us. Studies have shown that vaccination is the most reliable way to maintain immunity. ”
Source: Xinhua News Agency, Overseas Network, China News Network, Red Star News