Delhi: A new sub variant of Omicron BA 2.75 has been found in about 10 Indian states. This type can be frightening, according to Israeli experts. However, the Indian Ministry of Health has not yet officially confirmed the subtype discovery in the country.Also read – 16,103 new COVID-19 cases in India in 24 hours, 31 casualties; Positivity rate 4.27%
In a series of tweets, Dr. with the Central Virology Laboratory at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. 85 sequences from eight countries have been uploaded so far on Nextstrain, an open-source platform for genomic data, Shaw Fleisch said.
It includes 69 from India: Delhi (1), Haryana (6), Himachal Pradesh (3), Jammu (1), Karnataka (10), Madhya Pradesh (5), Maharashtra (27), Telangana (2), Uttar Pradesh ( 1), and West Bengal (13).
In addition to India, tensions have been reported by seven other countries: Japan (1), Germany (2), UK (6), Canada (2), US (2), Australia (1), and New Zealand (2). According to NextStrain data. “No transmission has been tracked so far based on sequences outside India,” Fleisch wrote on Twitter.
While he said it was “too early to say” whether BA.2.75 would be the next dominant type, he noted that the sub-variant could be “alarming as it could signal an upcoming trend”. Flash explained that in recent months, there has been a trend of second generation types based on the Omicron sub-lineage, such as BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4 and BA.5.
This was based on the omikron lineage with mutations in the S1 section of the spike protein and in particular the part of the spike protein used to attach and enter the virus cells. However, the increase seen in these sub-variables has been “at a level not seen in other generation variables from other types of worries”.
Furthermore, so far these second-generation variants have only been seen in a few cases in a single region. This is the first time a second-generation variant of the Omicron has spread across multiple regions. “The fact that such a different 2nd generation variant can make an inter-host a success is worrying. This means that even if BA.2.75 does not succeed, and if it does succeed, the other 2nd generation may develop better over time, ”Fleisch said.
Thomas Peacock, a scientist at Imperial College London, said on Twitter that the sub-variant was “worth keeping a close eye on”.
BA.2.75 was also flagged by Bloom Lab at the Fred Hutch Research Institute in the US.
In a tweet posted this week, the organization said the sub variant is “trackable, as it has an admirable antigenic change compared to its original BA.2”. The lab pointed to two mutations as key: the G446S and the R493Q.
“The G446S is one of the most powerful antibody protection products available by current vaccines that still neutralize BA.2. So for immunity from vaccines or early infections, adding G446S to BA.2 will reduce neutralization, ”the lab said.
“However, G446S will have less effect on the antibodies of people with previous BA.1 progressive infections. Therefore, the antigenic benefit of BA.2.75 will be most evident in people who have not been exposed to BA.1 compared to BA.2, ”he said.
This means that “BA.2.75 will have antibody escape which is similar to BA.4 / 5 in terms of current vaccine”. The R493Q mutation, on the other hand, increases the virus’s ability to bind to ACE2 – a protein that covid uses to enter virus cells.
