New Omicron sub-variant BA.2.75 has 18% growth advantage over the rest

With around 1,14,475 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, the sudden surge in the cases has made scientists express concern over the spread of Omicron’s sub-variant BA.2.75 which may be the reason behind the sudden surge. The sub-variant has an 18 per cent growth advantage over others of its kind.

As per reports, the sub-variant was a dominant strain earlier this year and was one of the most commonly detected sub-variant in recent results of genome sequencing.

The medical experts have labelled the three sub-variants of Omicron BA.2.74, BA.2.75 and BA.2.76, and flagged subvariant BA.2.75 for special observation.

Thomas Peacock, a scientist at Imperial College London, wrote in a Twitter thread, “Surveillance-minded folks- worth keeping a close eye on BA.2.75 that has a lot of spike mutations, probable second-generation variant, apparent rapid growth and wide geographical spread.”

Also read: There’s talk of COVID 4th wave, what constitutes a wave?

As per reports, 10 states have reported BA.2.75 variants including Delhi and Maharashtra. However, the Health Ministry is yet to make an official statement regarding the detection of the sub-variant in the country. Also, around 85 sequences of the sub-variant from eight countries including India have been reported.

As per reports, the BA.2.75 sub-variant has shown more than 16 new mutations. Most of the mutations have occurred in the spike region from where a virus usually finds its way inside a cell body.

The Bloom Lab at the Fred Hutch research institute in the US tweeted, flagging two mutations as key: G446S and R493Q.

The lab further pointed out that the G446S is one of the most potent sites of escape from antibodies elicited by current vaccines. This means that mutations in the site can result in the virus’ increased capability to dodge antibodies and attach itself better to human cells. This would further mean that the virus has increased capability to infect people who have been infected before, as well as those who have been vaccinated.

Dr Shay Fleishon of the Central Virology Laboratory at Sheba Medical Centre in Tel Hashomer (Israel) observed that the sub-variant is showing behaviour that is different from its other second-generation counterparts.

The medical expert explained that the sub-variant is the first of a second-generation type that has spread across different geographies. He said that whether BA.2.75 will succeed in initiating a wave or not, its growth has shown that even second-generation variants can get better with time.

Also Read: Active Covid cases in country rise to 1,13,864

Dr Rajesh Karyakarte, Vice Dean and Head of Department of Microbiology in BJ Government Medical College (Pune) tweeted in June saying that BA.2 and BA.2.38 are still the dominant lineages. He also said that as per a clinical study, BA.4 and BA.5 show no signs of hospitalization and intensive health care.

As of now, the sub-variant BA.2.75 is competing with other BA.2 sub-lineages now.