Posted on 07/19/2022 7:02:50 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Experts say the transmission rates of the BA.2.75 variant are showing an exponential increase, particularly in India, where it is competing with BA.5.
As the U.S. battles the rapidly spreading BA.5 omicron subvariant, a new mutant that could compete with the highly contagious strain is on the horizon.
Scientists say the variant – called BA.2.75 – may be able to evade immunity from vaccines and prior infection. The latest mutant has been spotted in several distant states in India and appears to be spreading faster than other variants there. It’s unclear whether it could cause more serious disease than other omicron variants, including the prominent BA.5.
Tufts Medical Center's Dr. Shira Doron, Boston Medical Center's Dr. Sabrina Assoumou and Brigham and Women's Hospital's Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes explained whether we should worry about the new variant during NBC10 Boston's latest "COVID Q&A" discussion.
Experts say the transmission rates of the BA.2.75 variant are showing an exponential increase, particularly in India. It makes up about a quarter of the cases there and seems to be competing with BA.5 as the dominant strain. Some health officials expect cases will continue to grow, but how the subvariant might impact the U.S. remains to be seen.
"We often look to see what happens overseas to try to foreshadow what is going to happen here. These particular subvariants have had very different behaviors," Assoumou said. "There's been a different mix of infection-acquired immunity versus vaccine-acquired immunity, so it's a little hard to know how it's going to behave here in the U.S."
The population in India has a different immunity than those in the U.S., Boston doctors said, because different vaccines were given at various times and different variants circulated at various times. Those variables result in fluctuating levels of infection-induced immunity.
"We cannot assume that what's happening there will happen here, and yet we do have to prepare for surges. We are always now preparing for surges," Doron said. "Variants will emerge that evade immunity from the vaccine and prior infection, and we can't ever quite know exactly what they're going to do to our case rates until we get there."
The highly contagious BA.5 omicron subvariant has taken over as the dominant coronavirus strain in recent weeks and is fueling concerns about a potential summer surge. The threat of the BA.2.75 variant in India underscores the importance of global vaccination, according to Assoumou, who said, "We're not going to be able to get over this pandemic if we don't make sure that everyone, everywhere, is safe."
Moderna recently announced that it is developing two potential booster shots targeting the omicron subvariants, the Wall Street Journal reported, which could be rolled out by the fall. But Doron questioned whether variant-specific vaccines are a sufficient long-term solution, considering a new variant could always be lurking around the corner.
"It's the same story. It could be a problem, and it could not be a problem," Doron said of BA.2.75. "We can watch what a variant or some variant does in another country. We should always prepare for it to do that thing here. You know, it's expect the worst and hope for the best. That's all we can do. It's going to be impossible to predict. And how it behaves in one place may not predict how it behaves in another."
"I agree," Kuritzkes said. "We'll have to watch and see what happens -- whether this new variant really spreads significantly and if so, what it looks like. Right now, there's little we can do other than watching it."
Public health experts have been concerned about the possibility of a summer surge and now Massachusetts COVID wastewater data seems to be backing that up.
Of course we should be terrified of it. Its time to mask up! And shut down the economy. Only a shut down economy can protect our health and conquer inflation. And we must allow voting drop boxes and count all votes, regardless of where they came from. And mail-in ballots, don’t forget those! These are simply a few of the common sense health measures that we must undertake to protect the health of our children, seniors, persons of color and LGBTQs and trans people.
From what I have been seeing if you are Vaccinated, Boosted, Prior-Infected or Unvaccinated at some point, YOU MAY STILL GET COVID.
So what does it really matter what your status is? Also, as for validity of home test kits, how can this kit test for yet unknown variants with any level of accuracy? I contend that the kits are mostly CRAP since they were developed and tested against KNOWN variants already in the wild!! The kits have zero ability to tell you what variant you have and what level of infection if any. Virus remnants remain in your system for months. These Kits may be seeing these inactive remnants.
Professionals have said that Covid is mutating at Warp Speed, yes that’s strange in nature. Just means that there really isn’t much to do about it other than build your own immune system. Big Pharma will always be 1-3 variants BEHIND with any “VAX/BOOSTER” they try to push.
Why is it STILL so hard to develop an annual FLU VAX that is 40-50% effective on a good year, yet Covid VAX is the wonder of the ages?
There is the Canadian vaccine Covifend, which is made from a strain of tobacco plant.
:: I contend that the kits are mostly CRAP since they were developed and tested against KNOWN variants already in the wild!! ::
A very large chunk of my common sense tells me that *some* of these test, since their development, carry an infectious amount of spike-protein, purposefully.
I have never been tested in any way shape of form; swab or blood-draw.
My diagnosis was done by my PP according to symptoms.
The whole reason this is being ballyhooed about is POLITICAL. Call it "The Midterm Variant".
I know you’re joking, but you are encouraging the LOCKDOWN-FIRST FReepers.
There is no actual information in the posted article.
I’m not sure why they are focusing on India and claiming an “exponential” rise in cases. According to Worldometer, yesterday India had 15,000 new cases, a very slight rise from recent weeks. By comparison, Japan had a huge spike of more than 100,000 cases, equaling its highest rate ever. Germany had 160,000 new cases, South Korea 73,000, and Australia 37,000 (50,000 today).
lots of blah, blah, blah in this propaganda article, but not single word about mortality or hospitalization rates ... just substitute “common cold” for covid in the article and it’ll read just as accurately ...
Yeah, but it’s “expodential” so you know it has to be bad!
I study epidemic diseases for a living
_______________________________________
could you comment on the link below, given your credentials?
are covid vaccines the superspread vector for omicron?
https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/are-covid-vaccines-the-superspread
My daughter started working in a nursing home. It was on lockdown because everyone tested positive for covid, but nobody had symptoms. Shortly thereafter, the grandkids got it. Very light sniffles. We all tested negative except for the children who tested positive. They never acted sick and winter colds were much worse.
My daughter started working in a nursing home. It was on lockdown because everyone tested positive for covid, but nobody had symptoms. Shortly thereafter, the grandkids got it. Very light sniffles. We all tested negative except for the children who tested positive. They never acted sick and winter colds were much worse.
A lot of what gets posted here (including your link) is speculation dressed up as research.
Of course, so are almost all “official” statements about COVID.
We are sorely lacking in reliable information about saving lives and about preventing transmission (which may very well be impossible). Only the dexamethasone stuff from May 2020 was obviously and immediately of practical use, more lives have been saved by use of dexamethasone than all other interventions combined.
The failure of science in the face of this event is so profound, it may never recover. And I don’t mean being wrong about unknown things - their job is to make the unknown, known by creating and testing hypotheses.
There has been very little of that work, so far.
Nearly every one of your posts is the same. You need to get a new script.
You aren’t going to convince anyone to accept your doom and hide in the corner. Not sure why you keep trying.
RE: We all tested negative except for the children who tested positive. They never acted sick and winter colds were much worse
How recent or long ago was this?
Do nothing and you’ll be fine... It’s all BS and COVID was nothing more than a bad cold.
You cited the CDC which has been completely wrong about everything COVID related.
Prior infected non gene therapied people will do better against any disease now.
The world says, “Worry and be anxious!!”
God says, “Be anxious for nothing.”
There you go... inflaming the covid cultists and fauci fanatics here on FR.
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