Researchers Are Warning That The Next Concerning SARS-CoV-2 Variant Is Likely To Emerge From India Again
Source: Medical News - Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants BA.2.10 and BA.2.76 Aug 09, 2022 2 years, 3 months, 3 days, 18 hours, 17 minutes ago
Numerous virologists and genomic experts are warning that the next concerning SARS-CoV-2 will most likely emerge from India again if not from the African continent. However current data is indicating that India is the forerunner.
India gave the world the Delta and also the new BA.2.75 variant that is already becoming a concern due to its enhanced transmissibility and also is more pathogenic and immune evasive.
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-india-that-spawned-the-deadly-sars-cov-2-delta-variant-does-it-again-with-a-new-more-transmissible-and-lethal-variant-ba-2-75
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-japanese-study-indicates-ba-2-75-the-next-variant-to-follow-after-the-ba-5-surges-is-not-only-more-transmissible-but-also-more-pathogenic
Another worrisome variant to emerge in India is also the BH.1 variant that is currently being studied and monitored.
A lot of new emerging data is showing many newer Omicron subvariants spawning in the Indian continent, it is most likely the next new variant or subvariant that will continue to cause surges globally after the BA.5, BA.2.75 and BA.4.6 waves will likely once again originate from the country. As such, scientists are warning that more updated genomic surveillance is warranted especially in the country.
In West Bengal, a
BA.2.10 sub-lineage has emerged with the following spike mutations: V83A, H146Q, Q183E, V213E, G339H, R346T, L368I, V445P, G446S, V483A, F490V, G798D and S1003I.
https://github.com/cov-lineages/pango-designation/issues/915
Other mutations found on this new sub-lineage includes ORF1a:K47R, ORF1b:G662S, M:D3Y, ORF7a:I110T, N:T282I, nuc:C15738T, T15939C, T17859C and G28079T.
Some are speculating that based on the mutations found on this new sub-lineage, previous antibodies elicited via infections with previous Omicron variants and subvariants nor vaccine induced antibodies might offer no protection.
Mutations On the BA.2.10 sub-lineage
Another sub-lineage to evolve in India is the
BA.2.76 sub-lineage with spike mutations R357K, and the other mutations are ORF1a: G1595S, & ORF1b:V2073L .
https://github.com/cov-lineages/pango-designation/issues/899
However, what is worrying many researchers is that this new sub-lineage is still evolving and picking up newer mutations including the spike mutations L24S and A262S and is rapidly spreading globally.
The coming months will prove to be interesting as govern
ments everywhere are letting their guards down and people are simply dangerously assuming that the SARS-C0V-2 virus is evolving to become mild. Along with all travel restrictions being removed and lack of surveillance, most of these new variants are going to spread more rapidly globally compared kinetics during the initial spread of Wuhan wildtype strain.
We at Thailand
Medical News believe that these new variants will only produce asymptomatic or mild symptoms upon initial infection for most people except those in the vulnerable groups ie the obese, young, old and those with existing comorbidities but the virus as a result of being better enhanced at disarming the human host immune responses and evading all antibodies from previous infections or jabs, will cause more severe health outcomes as the pathogenesis progresses and we will see more deaths from other causes including organ failures especially heart failures and kidney failures and also strokes and other fatal outcomes.
Reinfections will become a norm, with each time more severe conditions manifesting.Long COVID issues will become exponential.
Although we only have slightly 4 more months left before the year ends, the newer variants will ensure that the towards the end of the year, the promise that more deaths to be seen in 2022 than in the previous two years will likely be kept by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is constantly evoving to evade mankind's usage of substandard antibody based therapeutics and 'garbage' antivirals.
For the latest on emerging
SARS-CoV-2 variants, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.