Evidence is mounting that Omicron’s new sister variant, known as BA.2, is more transmissible than the original strain but at this stage does not appear to be more vaccine-evasive.
The subvariant BA.2 is one of at least three sub-lineages of Omicron, the strain of COVID-19 first spotted in Africa in late November and now dominant around much of the world.
While rare in Australia and most other countries – the virus is found in about 2 per cent of local samples – BA.2 has started to gain a serious foothold in England, India and Denmark, where it has out-competed Omicron and now makes up most viruses sampled.
“That does seem to suggest there is an intrinsic transmissibility advantage,” said Dr Adam Wheatley, who heads a research team studying the immune response to COVID-19 at the University of Melbourne.
Instead, BA.2 is likely to slowly replace Omicron, much as a variant known as D614G quietly replaced the version of the virus that emerged from Wuhan in the middle of 2020.
“Nothing ominous has come out so far. There is no reason to panic,” said Professor Seshadri Vasan, who has been tracking COVID-19’s variants at the CSIRO.
Preliminary data released by Britain’s Health Security Agency earlier this week suggests a two-dose course of vaccine provides essentially no protection against catching either Omicron or BA.2
“The take-home message is: if you are not vaccinated, please go and get that first dose. And if you are double-vaccinated, please go and book a booster,” Professor Vasan said.
Just 34.6 per cent of Australians aged over 12 have had a booster, leaving much of the population vulnerable to Omicron and BA.2.
Evidence from a small number of Omicron infections tracked by British health authorities suggests BA.2’s “secondary attack rate” – the chance of an infected person passing the virus on to someone else in the household – is 13.4 per cent, compared with 10.3 per cent for Omicron.
Scientists are focusing on three main theories to explain Omicron’s emergence.
One possibility: an unknown group of people who have been harbouring an older version of the virus, even as Delta spread around the world. Omicron may have evolved there and then emerged.
Another option: COVID-19 has spilled back from humans into animals, where it has picked up new mutations before jumping back into humans as Omicron. There is good evidence now that a range of animals can be infected with COVID-19, including mink and deer. Denmark culled millions of mink after the animals came down with the virus; late last year US scientists discovered wild deer had become a huge reservoir of COVID-19.
But the most likely option, Dr Wheatley said, was Omicron emerged from a single unlucky individual. This person may have HIV or be being treated with drugs to suppress the immune system. Because their immune system was so weak, they could have been infected with COVID-19 for months.
“You have a situation where you have a virus in a person for a long time, you have an immune system that’s not functioning, and you can get lots of mutations in one person,” said Dr Wheatley.
News
Study Shows Brain Signals Only Matter if They Arrive on Time
Signals are processed only if they reach the brain during brief receptive cycles. This timing mechanism explains how attention filters information and may inform therapies and brain-inspired technologies. It has long been recognized that [...]
Does Space-Time Really Exist?
Is time something that flows — or just an illusion? Exploring space-time as either a fixed “block universe” or a dynamic fabric reveals deeper mysteries about existence, change, and the very nature of reality. [...]
Unlocking hidden soil microbes for new antibiotics
Most bacteria cannot be cultured in the lab-and that's been bad news for medicine. Many of our frontline antibiotics originated from microbes, yet as antibiotic resistance spreads and drug pipelines run dry, the soil [...]
By working together, cells can extend their senses beyond their direct environment
The story of the princess and the pea evokes an image of a highly sensitive young royal woman so refined, she can sense a pea under a stack of mattresses. When it comes to [...]
Overworked Brain Cells May Hold the Key to Parkinson’s
Scientists at Gladstone Institutes uncovered a surprising reason why dopamine-producing neurons, crucial for smooth body movements, die in Parkinson’s disease. In mice, when these neurons were kept overactive for weeks, they began to falter, [...]
Old tires find new life: Rubber particles strengthen superhydrophobic coatings against corrosion
Development of highly robust superhydrophobic anti-corrosion coating using recycled tire rubber particles. Superhydrophobic materials offer a strategy for developing marine anti-corrosion materials due to their low solid-liquid contact area and low surface energy. However, [...]
This implant could soon allow you to read minds
Mind reading: Long a science fiction fantasy, today an increasingly concrete scientific goal. Researchers at Stanford University have succeeded in decoding internal language in real time thanks to a brain implant and artificial intelligence. [...]
A New Weapon Against Cancer: Cold Plasma Destroys Hidden Tumor Cells
Cold plasma penetrates deep into tumors and attacks cancer cells. Short-lived molecules were identified as key drivers. Scientists at the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), working with colleagues from Greifswald University Hospital and [...]
This Common Sleep Aid May Also Protect Your Brain From Alzheimer’s
Lemborexant and similar sleep medications show potential for treating tau-related disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that a commonly used sleep medication can restore normal sleep patterns and [...]
Sugar-Coated Nanoparticles Boost Cancer Drug Efficacy
A team of researchers at the University of Mississippi has discovered that coating cancer treatment carrying nanoparticles in a sugar-like material increases their treatment efficacy. They reported their findings in Advanced Healthcare Materials. Over a tenth of breast [...]
Nanoparticle-Based Vaccine Shows Promise in Fighting Cancer
In a study published in OncoImmunology, researchers from the German Cancer Research Center and Heidelberg University have created a therapeutic vaccine that mobilizes the immune system to target cancer cells. The researchers demonstrated that virus peptides combined [...]
Quantitative imaging method reveals how cells rapidly sort and transport lipids
Lipids are difficult to detect with light microscopy. Using a new chemical labeling strategy, a Dresden-based team led by André Nadler at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) and [...]
Ancient DNA reveals cause of world’s first recorded pandemic
Scientists have confirmed that the Justinian Plague, the world’s first recorded pandemic, was caused by Yersinia pestis, the same bacterium behind the Black Death. Dating back some 1,500 years and long described in historical texts but [...]
“AI Is Not Intelligent at All” – Expert Warns of Worldwide Threat to Human Dignity
Opaque AI systems risk undermining human rights and dignity. Global cooperation is needed to ensure protection. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has changed how people interact, but it also poses a global risk to human [...]
Nanomotors: Where Are They Now?
First introduced in 2004, nanomotors have steadily advanced from a scientific curiosity to a practical technology with wide-ranging applications. This article explores the key developments, recent innovations, and major uses of nanomotors today. A [...]
Study Finds 95% of Tested Beers Contain Toxic “Forever Chemicals”
Researchers found PFAS in 95% of tested beers, with the highest levels linked to contaminated local water sources. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), better known as forever chemicals, are gaining notoriety for their ability [...]
