A study published by Columbia University researchers in the journal Nature on the 5th showed that the latest Omicron subtypes, such as BA.4 and BA.5, which have caused a surge in new infections around the world, are easier to avoid than previous variants. Vaccines and most antibody treatments. New scientific discoveries: Subvariants BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5 are spreading rapidly around the world. BA.4/5 now accounts for more than 50% of new cases of COVID-19 in the United States. These subvariants are believed to be more transmissible than previous Omicron subvariants due to several new mutations in the spike protein.
Dr. Dayi He, a professor at Columbia University and director of the Allen-Diamond AIDS Research Center who led the research, said that as expected, the virus is continuing to evolve, and these new, more transmissible subvariants are spreading around the world. It’s no surprise that guilt is becoming more and more dominant. Understanding how currently available vaccines and antibody treatments withstand new subvariants will be critical to developing strategies to prevent severe disease, hospitalization and death, if not infection. The research team studied the ability of antibodies to neutralize the latest subvariants in individuals who received at least three doses of the mRNA vaccine , or who received two doses and then were infected with or micron .
They did not study individuals who did not receive booster shots because a previous study found that two doses of the vaccine provided little protection against infection with the early Omicron variant. The study showed that while BA.2.12.1 was only slightly more resistant than BA.2 in vaccinated and boosted individuals, BA.4/5 was at least 4 times more resistant to and than its predecessor.
Additionally, the researchers tested 19 monoclonal antibody treatments for their ability to neutralize the variants and found that only one available antibody treatment remained highly effective against both BA.2.12.1 and BA.4/5. He said that as these highly transmissible subvariants continue to expand globally, they will lead to more breakthrough infections in people vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine. Nonetheless, these vaccines continue to provide good protection against severe disease. In the current environment, it may be necessary to look at developing new vaccines and treatments to anticipate the continued evolution of COVID-19. (Science and Technology Daily reporter Zhang Mengran)
Source: Science and Technology Daily
