8/15/2023 0 Comments Covid 19 omicron incubation period![]() ![]() For the rest of us, what’s most important to understand about this variant? Virologists are watching XBB.1.5 due to its high number of mutations. However, we’re not seeing this variant cause the same type of surges in overall cases that omicron did when it entered the population last winter. The XBB.1.5 virus has quickly become a higher percentage of total COVID cases in the United States. The XBB.1.5 variant has a mutation virologists believe is helping the virus better bind to cells and thus be more transmissible. The XBB family of variants emerged a few months ago and caught virologists’ attention because it contains more mutations to evade immunity than any other variant. Here, Pekosz explains what virologists are seeing, what this new variant means for case rates and treatments, and why it’s so important for more people to get the bivalent booster. Virologists including Andy Pekosz, a professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, are paying attention. We should, of course, be cautious about the data from China as it's based on reports, not peer-reviewed evidence yet.This article was updated on January 9, 2023, to reflect updated CDC data.įour weeks ago, the XBB.1.5 variant caused less than 10% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. BF.7's high R0 might be due in part to a low level of immunity in the Chinese population from previous infection, and possibly vaccination too. ![]() We don't know exactly why the situation looks different in China. While the UK Health Security Agency identified BF.7 as one of the most concerning variants in terms of both growth and neutralization data in a technical briefing published in October (it accounted for over 7% of cases at that time), the most recent briefing says BF.7 has been de-escalated due to reduced incidence and low growth rates in the UK. For example, in the US it was estimated to account for 5.7% of infections up to Dec. BF.7 around the worldīF.7 has been detected in several other countries around the world including India, the U.S., the UK and several European countries such as Belgium, Germany, France and Denmark.ĭespite BF.7's immune-evasive characteristics, and worrying signs about its growth in China, the variant seems to be remaining fairly steady elsewhere. BF.7 was resistant to neutralization, driven partly by the R346T mutation. This mutation, which we also see in BF.7's "parent" variant BA.5, has been linked with enhancing the capacity of the virus to escape neutralizing antibodies generated by vaccines or previous infection.Ī recent study examined the neutralization of BF.7 in sera (a component of blood that should contain antibodies) from triple-vaccinated healthcare workers, as well as patients infected during the Omicron BA.1 and BA.5 waves of the pandemic. BF.7 is no different.īF.7 carries a specific mutation, R346T, in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 (a protein on the surface of the virus that allows it to attach to and infect our cells). As Omicron has evolved, we've seen the emergence of new subvariants better able to escape immunity from vaccination or prior infection. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |