Preliminary laboratory studies indicate that the newly identified COVID-19 variant, BA.2.86, may not be as dangerous as previously thought. While caution is called for, these early discoveries offer some hope in the fight against the virus. Scientists around the world are working hard to understand the highly modified BA.2.86 version of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Experts believe the preliminary results offer some reassurance. Two groups, one in China and one in Sweden, have publicly revealed their findings, and more are likely in the United States as soon as Monday.
So far, preliminary results show that BA.2.86 is more of a paper tiger than the menacing beast it first appeared to be, although this impression may change as more results become available.
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- Is the BA.2.86 variant of Covid-19 less severe?
- It’s not the return of Omicron
- Early study results provide reassurance
- Learn about pseudoviruses
Is the BA.2.86 variant of Covid-19 less severe?
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BA.2.86, commonly known as Pirola, caught the world’s attention because it appeared dramatically different from any other variation of the coronavirus discovered so far. This new lineage contains more than 30 differences in its spike protein compared to its closest progenitor, BA.2, and the recently circulating lineage XBB.1.5. It was an evolutionary leap comparable to that achieved by Omicron’s initial variation, BA.1, almost two years ago, and everyone remembers how it was produced.
Infections and hospitalizations in the United States peaked during the wave of Omicron. Weekly deaths reached their second highest level, showing how even a milder strain of the virus can pose a serious threat if a wave of infection spreads throughout the community. Vaccines needed to be updated.
Omicron soon overtook other strains of COVID-19 and began producing its offshoots: viruses we are dealing with today. It became a lesson in how adaptable the virus can be and how vulnerable our defenses are to such drastic changes.
It’s not the return of Omicron
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The White House was so concerned about another Omicron-level disaster that it privately surveyed a dozen experts earlier this year about the likelihood of such an event occurring within the next two years. Most experts estimated the chance to be between 10% and 20%.
When BA.2.86 arrived in late July with eerie echoes of Omicron, variance hunters were alarmed and researchers scrambled to learn more about the new lineage.
So far it has infiltrated at least 11 countries, including the United States. Denmark is the country that has reported the most sequences so far, and specialists say they are closely monitoring the situation for signs of its expansion.
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However, only a few dozen sequences from the same number of infected patients have recently appeared in a global repository. Even with much less genetic surveillance than we had before, experts believe BA.2.86 would be detectable.
“This is not the second appearance of Omicron, my friends. If it was, we would have known about it by now,” said Dr. Bill Hanage, co-director of the Center for the Dynamics of Communicable Diseases at Harvard University, in a posting in the social networks.
Now, scientists are conducting laboratory experiments to better understand how well our immune systems and our vaccines will recognize and defend against viruses in the BA.2.86 family, either using copies of the actual virus isolated from patients or models of its protein proteins. beak grafted onto the body. of a different virus.
Early study results provide reassurance
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Researchers in China found that BA.2.86 looks very different to our immune systems than previous versions of the virus that causes COVID-19, and can evade some of our immunity in the first series of experiments using the blood of vaccinated and vaccinated mice and recently infected people.
Yunlong Cao, from Peking University’s Center for Biomedical Innovation, observed a two-fold decrease in our ability to neutralize BA.2.86 virus from vaccination and recent infection compared to XBB.1.5 family viruses. A double drop might be better, but it’s not massive either. By comparison, scientists use an eight-fold decrease in the effectiveness of vaccine-created immunity in neutralizing a new influenza virus as criteria for updating the flu vaccine.
At the same time, the BA.2.86 virus was about 60% less contagious than the XBB.1.5 viruses, which may explain why it has been detected in so many different countries, but only at low levels.
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“I think it will gradually spread among the population.” It will not be able to compete with other varieties that are rapidly becoming prevalent,” Cao wrote in an email to CNN, alluding to variants such as EG.5 and FL.1.5.1, which now dominate transmission in the United States.
In a second series of trials, researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden tested BA.2.86 against antibodies in the blood of human volunteers obtained at two different times: late 2022, before the XBB variation was developed, and late August. Antibodies from older samples were unable to properly inactivate BA.2.86, while blood samples collected just a week ago performed better.
“Overall, it does not appear to be as extreme a situation as the original appearance of Omicron,” lead researcher Benjamin Murrell wrote in a social media post.
“It is not clear whether BA.2.86 (or its progeny) will outperform the variants currently circulating, and I do not believe there is data yet on its severity,” he added. “However, our antibodies do not seem completely powerless against this.”
Learn about pseudoviruses
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Both studies have flaws. The researchers were experimenting with pseudoviruses, essentially models of the BA.2.86 virus, rather than the virus itself. The Swedish study used only a modest number of samples from blood donors. Because these studies used blood donors from China and Sweden, the immunity of people in the United States may differ because they were infected with different variations and immunized with other vaccines.
Despite this, experts are encouraged by the early results and eager to see more in the coming days.
The UK Health Security Agency Variant Technical Group met this week to discuss whether BA.2.86 should be reclassified in the UK from a “variant under monitoring” to a “variant of concern”.
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The group concluded in an update on Friday that BA.2.86 does not meet its definition of a variant of concern because there is no evidence that its profile represents a deleterious change in its biological properties or a growth rate that indicates it would move at least as fast. or faster than currently circulating variants.
According to the researchers, two samples of the virus are being cultured in the UK and results from those laboratory investigations are expected in at least 1-2 weeks. Meanwhile, they stated that they are awaiting responses from foreign partners. They, like the rest of the world, are waiting for the appearance of BA.2.86.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn