BREAKING News! Besides KP.3, Another Newly Emerged SARS-CoV-2 Variant LB.1 Poses A Major Threat In Coming Months!
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team May 24, 2024 5 months, 4 weeks, 5 hours, 15 minutes ago
COVID-19 News: Besides the KP.3 variant that is expected to wreak havoc across many countries in coming weeks, not so much in terms of deaths during initial infection but rather having more people being sick over longer periods of time and also rise in hospitalizations and subsequent increases of mortality later that will most probably not be attributed to COVID-19 but rather due various organ failures, sepsis and various ischemia, another SARS-CoV-2 variant has emerged that poses a threat in the next surge after KP.3.
Newly Emerged SARS-CoV-2 Variant LB.1 Poses A Major
Threat In Coming Months.
The LB.1 variant was first identified on the 5
th of March 2024 in sequence in Virginia-USA with a history of travel to India.
Since then, more than 250 such sequences have been uploaded on GISAID and these sequences originate from over 19 countries, reflecting that the variant is spreading fast.
Currently, New Zealand, United States and Singapore are the three countries with the most LB.1 sequences that have been uploaded on GISAID.
It is said that the LB.1 currently constitutes 12% of all SARS-CoV-2 strains found in the New Zealand.
In the United States, as of the 19
th of May, it constitutes 3.7% of variants circulating there.
https://x.com/RajlabN/status/1792051411749851457
Experts say that globally, LB.1 + S31del is showing a growth advantage of 2% per day (13% per week) over KP.3.
While the KP.3 already has a head-start and is expected to becoming predominant globally I 3 to 4 weeks, the LB.1 variant will take over after that and will likely become predominant a month or two after.
The key question on every one’s mind is whether these KP.3 or LB.1 variants will more lethal.
We at Thailand
Medical News, would like to say that if people are expecting to see a variant that will kill people the moment that they are infected…we are not there yet.
As far as the KP.3 and LB.1 variants are concerned, we will see a situation whereby previous infections will offer no immunity against these new variants nor will the current boosters. While majority except those in the vulnerable groups will likely to experience increase in mortality during the acute infection phase, they will be sick for a longer period of time and will likely develop complications down the road such as organ failures, sepsis and various ischemia and will likely die from these.
Studies already show that even the FLiRT varianst such as KP.2 are even immune evasive to antibodies generate by just the previous JN.1 infections!
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.05.20.595020v1
Already
quot;>COVID-19 News coverages are indicating that even the KP.1, KP.1.1, KP.2 and XDR variants are driving hospitalizations and in some cases, subsequent deaths in certain countries.
The effects from the KP.3 and LB.1 variants and also LA.2 (another new sub-lineage), will be far worse.
For those thinking that only the vaccinated will be vulnerable…that is a complete fallacy. Yes, immune imprinting might contribute to a certain degree but these new variants are not bias and will affect both the vaccinated and unvaccinated or those previously infected with earlier variants.
For more updates on the LB.1 variant and also the latest
COVID-19 News, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
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