New Omicron subvariant detected in India
COVID's Omicron variant surfaced in early November 2021 and has been wreaking havoc ever since. With several mutations and substrains, it has become extremely prevalent and contributes to a vast majority of infections. Its sub-variants, BA.4 and BA.5, have been declared the most dominant in the U.S. and are said to be driving the rise in the number of COVID cases in India and other countries.
Now, another Omicron subvariant has come to the fore. Scientists across the globe have alerted countries of a new subvariant, called the BA.2.75, which has cropped up in India. According to an Israeli health expert, this new variant could be "alarming" in nature.
What is BA.2.75?
BA.2.75 is one of the sub-variants of Omicron, besides BA.4 and BA.5. Currently, it has been detected in about 10 states in India. However, the Indian Health Ministry and the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), a genomic surveillance organisation, are yet to officially announce or confirm the detection of the sub-variant in the country. While there is not much known about the new sublineage, health experts have raised concerns about the same.
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Where has it been detected?
Dr. Shay Fleishon from the Central Virology Laboratory at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer took to twitter and said that 85 sequences from eight countries have been uploaded so far on Nextstrain, an open-source platform of genomic data.
This included 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).
Apart from India, this nee sub-strain has been identified in countries such as Japan (1), Germany (2), the UK (6), Canada (2), the US (2), Australia (1), and New Zealand (2), according to the Nextstrain data.
"No transmission could be tracked based on sequences outside India yet," Fleishon wrote on Twitter.
Will BA.2.75 become the 'next dominant variant'?
According to Fleishon, it is "too soon to tell" whether the BA.2.75 will be the next dominant variant. However, he believes that the subvariant may be "alarming because it may imply a trend to come".
He explains that in recent months, there has been a trend of second generation variants based on Omicron sub-lineages with mutations in the S1 section of the spike protein, namely BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, and BA.5.
He says that the mutations are specifically taking place in the part of the spike protein which the virus uses to connect to and gain entry into cells.
Additionally, it has been noted that the rise in these sub-variants has been ""at a level not seen in second-generation variants from other variants of concerns.”
"The fact that such a divergent 2nd gen variant can succeed inter-host is alarming. It means that if BA.2.75 will not succeed, and even if it will, other 2nd gen might grow better over time," Fleishon said.
What researchers have to say about the new subvariant
According to Thomas Peacock, a scientist at Imperial College London, the subvariant is worth "keeping a close eye" on.
The Bloom Lab at the Fred Hutch research institute, which also flagged the BA.2.75, took to twitter to state that the variant is "worth-tracking" due to "appreciable antigenic change" compared to its parent, BA.2.
"This new #SARSCoV2 Omicron subvariant (BA.2.75) flagged here by @PeacockFlu is worth tracking, as it has appreciable antigenic change relative to its parent BA.2. Key mutations: G446S & R493Q," it said.
COVID variants that are dominant currently
Currently, BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron, which recently lead to a spike in COVID cases in South Africa, have overtaken the so-called "stealth Omicron", becoming dominant in the U.S.. The pair is also a prevalent subvariant increasing the COVID count in India. While the BA.4 and BA.5 are not thought to be dangerous and are said to cause mild symptoms, given that it can evade both natural and vaccine-induced immunity, it spreads more easily and more efficiently.
How to stay safe
Although the SARs-CoV-2 virus has become milder and more manageable, vigilance is key amid new emerging variants. The unpredictability of the virus is what makes it so concerning and the best way to protect yourself against it is by following proper COVID measures.
Wear your masks when you step outside and maintain social distance. Follow proper hand hygiene and watch out for any cold-symptoms that can hint at COVID-19. Most importantly, get your booster shots on time.