'Centauro', the new variant of Covid that alerts the scientific community
Ivan Rodriguez Gelfenstein - Although the subvariant Omicron BA.5 predominates in the fourth wave of infections, the arrival of a new variant Centaur or 'centaurus' is already the majority in India, where it accounts for 20% of all new covid positives. Experts fear it has already spread to other countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Israel and the United States.
Given this new emergence, it augurs the dominance of the Centaur in the world, mutation BA2.75. A variant of the coronavirus that will multiply the levels of spread and contagiousness against the OMCron sublines BA.4 and BA.5.
NEW VARIANT CENTAURUS, BE AFRAID!!! pic.twitter.com/Rvvy3G30sO
— The Dollar Vigilante (@DollarVigilante) July 12, 2022
Experts, even without scientific consensus to certify it, say that the Centaur may be five to seven times more contagious than its predecessors. A speed that, without a doubt, is the real cause for concern.
As WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan explains, early genetic studies suggest that Centaur is accumulating a number of mutations in the tip region, also known as the access key used by the virus to infect human cells.
But experts say vaccines and boosters remain the best defense against severe COVID-19. It can take several weeks to get an idea of whether the latest omicron mutation could affect the trajectory of the pandemic.
Centaurus variant (aka BA2.75) with an alarming 16 mutations: 8 of which are in spike alone is rapidly taking off across the world: UK sequencing shows a sharp increase in the last weeks: and Maharashtra, India has climbed to 60% (!) sequences in just 4 weeks... pic.twitter.com/JRE6TAQHEm
— Chris Turnbull (@EnemyInAState) July 15, 2022
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