SARS-CoV-2 Variants - Coronavirus COVID-19 **NO DISCUSSION**

[ChatteringBirds]

Subvariant news from Germany:

Emerging omicron subvariants BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5 are inhibited less efficiently by antibodies

The omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.2 of SARS-CoV-2 have dominated the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2022. In many countries, these viruses are now outcompeted by emerging subvariants, with BA.5 being responsible for the current uptick of cases in Germany. However, it is at present largely unclear...

medicalxpress.com

 

[weepingangel]

Connecticut Patient Had COVID for 471 Days, Evolved 3 New Lineages: Study

A Connecticut cancer patient had COVID-19 for at least 471 days and evolved three distinct lineages of the virus in their bloodstream, a new study says.

www.necn.com

 

[anneg]

Eric Topol
@EricTopol

US CDC genomic surveillance update BA.5 growth marches on, now 54% BA.4/5 combined >70% https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions…


7:03 PM · Jul 5, 2022·Twitter Web App

Cross posting from main thread.

 

[weepingangel]

Newest Omicron subvariants can evade boosters, antibody therapies

BA.4 and BA.5—which now cause more than 70% of US cases—are 4 times more resistant to 3 vaccine doses than BA.2 is, and only 1 of 19 monoclonal antibodies tested showed efficacy against those subvariants.

www.cidrap.umn.edu

COVID variants found in sewage weeks before showing up in tests

A technique that detects coronavirus strains circulating in a community could become an early-warning system.

www.nature.com

 

[margarita25]

Via @anneg

https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-711033

[Article about a new CV variant: BA.2.75]

The new variant, identified as BA.2.75, was first found in a sequence taken in India in early June. Since then, the variant has been spotted in Australia, Canada, Japan, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the US. In just a matter of weeks, the variant has been detected in over 80 sequences around the world.

While it is still unclear if BA.2.75 will be able to compete with BA.5, the dominant variant in many countries at the moment, the number of mutations and its seemingly fast spread across a wide geographic area have scientists keeping an eye on it.

(more at link)

 

[anneg]

Via @anneg

A more recent communication from Dr. Topol:

@EricTopol

BA.2.75 is a scariant. It is not spreading anywhere besides a couple of provinces in India without BA.5 to compete with. There will be other new variants to be concerned about but it doesn't look like this is one of them.


10:53 AM · Jul 19, 2022·Twitter Web App

 

[margarita25]

Deaths Up:

3 days ago:

 

[weepingangel]

Study: Incubation times of SARS-CoV-2 variants fell over time

The average for all variants was 6.6 days, but it ranged from 5.0 days for Alpha to 3.4 days for Omicron.

www.cidrap.umn.edu

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Bloomberg: Covid Incubation Gets Shorter With Each New Variant, Study Shows.

Covid Incubation Gets Shorter With Each New Variant, Study Shows

www.bloomberg.com

 

[margarita25]

Dear Dr. Tedros (Doc T), Dr. Mike Ryan, Dr. Maria & WHO Team,

Thank you for your continued amazing humanitarian efforts and service, and for keeping us updated and helping guide us through these most difficult times.

Margarita

 

[weepingangel]

Another new COVID variant is spreading – here’s what we know about omicron BA.4.6

BA.4.6 seems to be even better at evading our immune response than BA.5.

theconversation.com

 

[margarita25]

Another new COVID variant is spreading – here’s what we know about omicron BA.4.6

BA.4.6 seems to be even better at evading our immune response than BA.5.

theconversation.com

From the above link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1103869/Technical-Briefing-45-9September2022.pdf

 

[weepingangel]

Scientists were worried about a particular variant this fall. They didn't expect its offspring

Scientists were worried about a particular COVID variant this fall. They didn't expect its offspring.

fortune.com

 

[weepingangel]

WHO warns ability to identify new Covid variants is diminishing as testing declines

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's Covid-19 technical lead, said the virus is spreading rapidly and continues to evolve even as deaths from the disease decline.

www.cnbc.com

 

[margarita25]

A New Phase

In "A New Phase," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the many new subvariants that are competing with BA.5, the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, and the challenges that will come with the next phase of the pandemic.

www.cidrap.umn.edu

Note mention of “recombinant”, in addition to WHO tracking 300 sub variants of O, as prev mentioned by Dr. Maria, iirc,

 

[ChatteringBirds]

2022 ends with looming risk of a new coronavirus variant, health experts warn | CNN

As the world enters a new year, many public health and infectious disease experts predict that monitoring for new coronavirus variants will be an increasingly important part of Covid-19 mitigation efforts -- and some are turning their attention to a surge in cases in China.

edition.cnn.com

For this week, the CDC estimates that XBB.1.5 now causes 40.5% of cases in the US, followed by BQ.1.1 at 26.9%; BQ.1 at 18.3%; BA.5 at 3.7%; and XBB at 3.6%.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

XBB.1.5
Doesn't cause more severe symptoms but better at evading immunity:

What we know about the XBB.1.5 COVID subvariant so far

About 40% of confirmed U.S. cases were likely caused by the XBB.1.5 strain, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

www.axios.com

 

[weepingangel]

COVID-19: What is the BF.7 strain?

The Omicron strain is driving a rapid increase in China, and is quicker to transmit than other variants.

lens.monash.edu

 

[weepingangel]

What you need to know about the latest, highly mutated Covid variant

A handful of cases of BA.2.86 have been identified globally, but scientists aren't sure if the variant is capable of spreading widely.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[weepingangel]

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/18/health/coronavirus-variant/index.html