Publish Time: 2022-05-05 Origin: Site
Cunning Omicron is a "Master Player"
The constant emergence of these new variants shows how cunning Omicron is.
"Omicron is a 'master player' in terms of its ability to evade antibody activity. It is much more efficient than all previous variants," said Peiyong Shi, a virologist at the University of Texas at Galveston. , "It only takes one key mutation to make a complete change."
According to NPR's report on the 4th, Shi Peiyong's team extracted blood from people infected with the original variant of Omicron BA.1 and checked whether the antibodies in the blood could neutralize the new variant, including New York City. BA.2.12.2 in state or BA.4 and BA.5 in South Africa surge.
It was found that all people who had been infected with BA.1 had antibodies that could neutralize BA.1. But the neutralizing
In the unvaccinated people, the ability of their antibodies to neutralize BA.4 and BA.5 was nearly 8-fold lower than the ability to fight BA.1, the study reported.
Research by the team of biophysicist Xie Xiaoliang at Peking University also shows that Omicron can evolve mutations to specifically evade immunity caused by BA.1 infection.
Delta wants to 'make a comeback'
According to the "Times of Israel" report on the 4th, a new Israeli study shows that there is the possibility of another wave of global epidemics in the northern hemisphere this summer, and the new coronavirus delta strain may make a comeback, posing a bigger threat than expected.
The peer-reviewed study, based on surveillance results of sewage in Israel, revealed not only the prevalence of Covid-19 cases, but also their variants. The study showed that even with high levels of the Omicron variant, the delta variant continued to spread covertly.
After monitoring the patterns of the two variants, the researchers concluded that Omicron and its sub-variants may disappear soon, but Delta has shown such resilience that it is likely to Reappear.
"In this study, we found that even when Omicron was at its highest level in the wastewater, delta continued to circulate." Ariel Kush, a biologist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel "Our models suggest that even though Omicron is dying, Delta has survived and has the potential to 'come back,'" Marlow said.
In their research paper published in the journal Overall Environmental Science, Kushmaro and colleagues wrote that based on analytical models, Omicron's levels are expected to decrease until they are eliminated, while Delta will continue to maintain its cryptic cycle. , until another wave is triggered. If this were to materialize, the cryptic cycle described above could lead to a re-emergence of delta-causing waves, or the creation of new threatening mutant strains.
Vaccinations and good public practices remain the best protection
"Breakthrough cases would be better for vaccinated people," said Siegel of the African Institute of Health. For those who were vaccinated, the effect on BA.4 and BA.5 was comparable to the potency against BA.1. The neutralizing capacity of the product has only dropped by a factor of 3. These individuals were also more capable of neutralizing BA.1. As a result, they ended up being on average 5 times more potent at neutralizing the new variant compared to people who were not vaccinated prior to infection.
Tedros insisted on the 4th: "The best way to protect people is still to be vaccinated, while also taking tried-and-true public health and social measures." Shi Peiyong also said: "The data has shown time and time again that vaccines are still There are huge benefits."
The WHO has officially recorded more than 6.2 million deaths from COVID-19 worldwide since the outbreak began, but the true death toll is believed to be much higher. Newly reported cases and deaths are falling globally and have now fallen to their lowest levels since March 2020. But the WHO has warned that the global drop in cases could be the result of a slash in testing for the virus.
"These trends, while welcome, don't tell the whole story," Tedros said, noting that in the Americas and Africa, reported cases are rising, driven by the omicron sub variant. "Many countries are basically blind to how the virus mutates," Tedros warned. "We don't know what's going to happen next."
Tedros emphasized that the BA.4 and BA.5 subtypes were discovered because South Africa is still insisting on vital genetic sequencing that many other countries have stopped. The South African findings suggest that "viral testing and genetic sequencing remain absolutely critical matters".
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