The Omicron BA.2.75 variation has been found in nations like India, and the World Health Organization is keeping an eye on it, though it is too early to tell if it is more dangerous or has the potential to evade immunization.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced it is keeping an eye on the BA.2.75 variant of the Omicron coronavirus, which has been identified in nations like India, days after an Israeli scientist raised the alarm about a new sub-lineage of the coronavirus.
“BA.4 and BA.5 are creating waves in Europe and the United States. We’re monitoring a new sub-lineage of BA.2.75 that has been identified in nations like India, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday.
The WHO director’s comments were made against a backdrop of an almost 30% rise in Covid-19 cases worldwide over the previous two weeks.
Omicron sub-variant BA.2.75 What we know-
The BA.2.75 sub-variant was “initially reported from India and later from about 10 other countries,” according to WHO top scientist Soumya Swaminathan. It is too early to say whether it can cause severe infections, she said, implying that it looks different from the prior variations.
It is too early to say whether Omicron BA.2.75 can circumvent immunity gained by vaccination or prior infection because to the limited sequences of the sub-variant that are accessible for analysis, according to Swaminathan.
The receptor-binding region of the spike protein appears to have undergone a few changes in this sub-variant, she acknowledged. It follows that the virus’s ability to connect to the human receptor relies on this crucial component. So, we must keep an eye on that.
WHO is monitoring the BA.2.75 sub-variant, according to Swaminathan, and the Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) is continuously examining the data from all around the world.
The committee will take action at any moment if a virus emerges that is sufficiently distinct from others to be referred to as a separate variation of concern, she added.
The second generation of BA.2 variations, BA.2.75, has a high transmissibility and is thought to be the cause of the current rise of Covid-19 cases in India.
Delhi and Maharashtra are two of the 10 states that have reported the BA.2.75 variation thus far. Since this lineage has not yet been identified, it is believed that the sub-distribution variants in India is restricted and that it does not contribute to the disease’s increased severity or spread.
COVID Cases Are Increasing Again-
Globally, the number of new weekly cases increased for the fourth consecutive week after a falling trend since the last peak in March 2022, according to the WHO’s weekly epidemiological update on Covid-19, which was released on July 6.
Over 4.6 million instances, or a similar number to the previous week, were reported during the week of June 27 to July 3. Over 8100 fatalities were reported, a 14% decrease over the previous week in the number of new deaths.
Over 157,000 new cases have been reported, a 20% increase from the previous week, in the South-East Asia Region, where cases have been on the rise since early June. India reported the newest cases (112,456 new cases, a 21% rise), followed by Thailand (15,950 new cases), Bangladesh, and Thailand (13,516 new cases).
Covid-19 Incident Manager for WHO According to Abdi Mahamud, it is not appropriate to declare that the pandemic is over at this moment.
“The epidemic is still ongoing, and the virus still has a great deal of power. Therefore, regardless of whether it is the BA.4, BA.5, or BA.2.75, the virus will persist, he said, adding that individuals and communities must continue to wear masks, stay away from crowded areas, and make sure that the group that is most at risk is protected.
