An Additional COVID Variant Is Now Spreading – September, 2022 : Everything You Need to Know
Now it has been revealed that BA.4.6, a subvariant of the omicron COVID variant that has been rapidly gaining ground in the US, is spreading in the UK.
According to the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) most recent briefing paper on COVID variations, 3.3% of samples in the UK were BA.4.6 during the week commencing August 14.
Since then, it has increased to account for around 9% of all sequenced instances.
Similar to this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that BA.4.6 is now responsible for more than 9% of recent cases in the US. The variation has also been seen in a number of other nations worldwide.
What do we know about BA.4.6, and is there cause for concern? Let’s review the data we’ve gathered so far.
The omicron variation BA.4.6 is akin to BA.4. The BA.4 form, which was initially discovered in South Africa in January 2022, has since spread over the world together with the BA.5 variation.
Though its origin is unclear, it’s probable that BA.4.6 is a recombinant variation. When two SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) variants infect the same individual simultaneously, recombination occurs.
Although BA.4.6 will resemble BA.4 in many respects, it has a mutation in the spike protein, which is a protein on the virus’s surface that permits it to enter human cells.
The R346T mutation, which has been observed in other variations, is linked to immune evasion, which means it aids the virus in evading antibodies developed by immunisation and past infection.
We are aware that persons with Covid can get the virus again, and omicron has shown this to be especially true. Subsequent bouts sometimes get worse.
However, immunisation remains the finest tool we have to combat COVID and continues to provide effective protection against serious illness. Bivalent boosters’ recent clearance is welcome news. In addition, creating multivalent coronavirus vaccines that focus on several variations might offer even longer-lasting protection.
A recent study shown that in animal models, a multivalent coronavirus vaccination generated a potent immune response against the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 as well as two variations of concern.