No change in Omicron BA.4, BA.5 severity or transmissibility so far:Omicron

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No change in Omicron BA.4, BA.5 severity or transmissibility so far:Omicron

While there have been a few cases of new Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5, so far there is no change seen in the severity of transmissibility, the World Health Organisation has said.

The new sub-variants have to date been detected in South Africa, Botswana, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, and the UK.

The global health agency earlier said that it is keeping a track of the new variants.

“There are less than 200 sequences available so far and we expect this to change…We are tracking (the virus) very closely to see if there is an uptick in case detection, but (so far) we haven’t seen any change in epidemiology or severity,” WHO lead epidemiologist Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said at a press event on Wednesday.

The global health agency said it had begun tracking the two sub-variants because of their “additional mutations that need to be further studied to understand their impact on immune escape potential”.

In its latest weekly epidemiological update, the WHO noted that the number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths continues to decline. During the week of April 4-10 for a third consecutive week, more than 7 million cases and over 22,000 deaths were reported, a decrease of 24 percent and 18 percent, respectively, as compared to the previous week.

“On Covid-19, there’s good news. Last week, the lowest number of Covid-19 deaths was recorded since the early days of the pandemic,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press briefing in Geneva on Wednesday.

However, the agency warned that lower case numbers and deaths do not necessarily mean ‘lower risk’ as the pandemic continues to remain a public health emergency.

Ghebreyesus advised countries to be prepared to scale up Covid-19 response rapidly.

He reiterated that higher testing and sequencing rates are vital for scientists to track existing variants and identify new ones as they emerge.

“At present, there are a number of Omicron sub-lineages we’re following closely, including BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5 and another recombinant detected, made up of BA.1 and BA.2”, he said.

WHO’s director of emergencies, Michael Ryan warned that as the virus continues to evolve, the world “cannot simply afford to lose sight of it”.

“It would be very short-sighted at this point to assume that lower numbers of cases mean absolute lower risks. We are pleased to see deaths dropping but this virus has surprised us before, it has caught us off guard before,” he added.

Meanwhile, WHO’s lead scientist Dr. Soumiya Swaminathan, said that sub-lineages and recombinants will continue to appear, and the world must continue investing in improved tools such as new vaccines.

“We have to be prepared for the possibility that this virus can change so much that it might be able to evade existing immunity”, she said.

Ghebreyesus emphasized that currently, the virus remains deadly, especially for the unprotected and unvaccinated that don’t have access to health care and antivirals.

Besides getting vaccinated, he also advised people to continue wearing masks – especially in crowded indoor spaces and maintain good ventilation.

The WHO chief also urged forA equitable distribution of Covid tools and strengthening of health systems.

“Bridging the vaccine equity gap is the best way to boost population immunity and insulate against future waves”, he highlighted.

Zika may be a step away from dangerous outbreak

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Zika may be a step away from dangerous outbreak

US researchers have found that the Zika virus can mutate to become more infective – and potentially breakthrough pre-existing immunity.

The finding is in line with the warning issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO), earlier this month. The global health agency warned that the next pandemic could be triggered by insect-borne pathogens, including Zika and dengue.

Researchers from La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) in the US, identified a new mutation — called NS2B I39V/I39T mutation.

It was found to boost the virus’s ability to replicate in both mice and mosquitoes. This Zika variant also showed increased replication in human cells.

“The world should monitor the emergence of this Zika virus variant,” said Professor Sujan Shresta from La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) in the US, who showed how the Zika virus naturally evolves as it encounters more hosts.

Zika virus, which is carried by mosquitoes, caused a global medical emergency in 2016, with thousands of babies born with birth defects such as microcephaly after their mothers became infected while pregnant.

In the study published in the journal Cell Reports, the team recreated infection cycles that repeatedly switched back and forth between mosquito cells and mice.

The researchers found it is relatively easy for the Zika virus to acquire a single amino acid change that allows the virus to make more copies of itself – and help infections take hold more easily.

“This single mutation is sufficient to enhance Zika virus virulence,” said Jose Angel Regla-Nava, Associate Professor at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico.

“A high replication rate in either a mosquito or human host could increase viral transmission or pathogenicity – and cause a new outbreak.”

Zika virus and dengue virus tend to overlap in many countries worldwide. Like Zika, the dengue virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, and thus shares many biological properties.

Further, Shrestha noted that in areas where Zika is prevalent, a vast majority of people have already been exposed to the dengue virus and have both T cells and antibodies that cross-react.

According to the WHO, dengue fever infects 390 million people in the 130 countries annually where it is endemic, while the Zika virus has been detected in at least 89 countries.

In fact, the viruses are similar enough that the immune response sparked by prior dengue exposure can offer protection against Zika.

But unfortunately, “the Zika variant that we identified had evolved to the point where the cross-protective immunity afforded by prior dengue infection was no longer effective in mice”, Shrestha said.

Thus “if this variant becomes prevalent, we may have the same issues in real life”, she warned.

India logs 1,088 fresh Covid cases, 26 deaths in 24 hrs

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India logs 1,088 fresh Covid cases, 26 deaths in 24 hrs

India reported 1,088 fresh Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours, against the previous day’s 796 cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday morning.

In the same period, as many as 26 Covid-related deaths occurred across the country, taking the total fatalities to 5,21,736.

The active caseload has declined to 10,870. Active cases now constitute 0.03 percent of the country’s total positive cases.

A total of 1,081 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients since the beginning of the pandemic is now at 4,25,05,410. Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.76 percent.

Also in the same period, a total of 4,29,323 tests were conducted across the country. India has so far conducted over 79.49 crore cumulative tests.

The weekly positivity rate in the country currently stands at 0.24 percent, However, the Daily Positivity rate is also reported to be 0.25 percent.

On the vaccination front, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 186.07 crores as per provisional reports till 7 a.m this morning. This has been achieved through 2,25,81,738 sessions. Over 2.32 crore adolescents have been administered the first dose of the vaccine since the beginning of the vaccination drive for this age bracket.

More than 19.88 crore balance and unutilized Covid vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered, according to the health ministry.

New Omicron BA.4 & BA.5 sub-variants detected in Africa, Europe

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New Omicron BA.4 & BA.5 sub-variants detected in Africa, Europe

South African scientists have detected two new sub-variants of the highly contagious Omicron variant – BA.4 and BA.5.

According to Tulio de Oliveira, Director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), South Africa, the sub-variants have been detected in South Africa, Botswana, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, and the UK.

Although “early indications show these new sub-lineages are increasing as a share of genomically confirmed cases in South Africa”, there is, however, “no cause for alarm as no major spike in cases, admissions or deaths” are seen in the country, de Oliveira shared in a series of tweets.

“The complex immunity landscape in South Africa, with high population immunity, is probably one of the main causes of the low infections, hospitalization, and deaths since the Delta and Omicron BA.1 wave,” he said.

Incidentally, South Africa and Botswana were also the first to report on Omicron in November last year. South Africa was also the first country to be hit by the super mutant and vaccine evading variant of concern, before it became a global wave.

BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants are also on the radar of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The global health agency said it had begun tracking the two sub-variants because of their “additional mutations that need to be further studied to understand their impact on immune escape potential”.

Globally, only a few dozen cases of BA.4 and BA.5 have been reported to open access database GISAID. The earliest BA.4 sample reported to GISAID was from South Africa, with a sample collection date of January 10, 2022, the Independent.co.uk reported.

However, the accumulation of genomes and geographic spread is more recent, suggesting “that the variant is transmitting successfully”, said the UK Health Security Agency in its latest report.

Both BA.4 and BA.5 have also been added to the UK agency’s monitoring list. One case each of BA.4 has already been detected in Scotland and England, up to March 30, according to the UKHSA.

The health officials said there were “potentially biologically significant mutations” in the two variants, the report said.

In his thread of tweets, de Oliveira explained that BA.4 and BA.5 share a similar spike profile as BA.2, except for additional mutations: 69-70del, L452R, F486V.

But “the good news is that BA.4 and BA.5 (like BA.1) can be identified by a proxy marker of SGTF using the Thermo Fisher qPCR assay”, de Oliveira said.

Although BA.4/BA.5 has many shared mutations with the other Omicron lineages, it also has some differences. The impact of differences on virus phenotype needs to be determined, de Oliveira said, adding that the work is underway to characterize them.

Moreover, the researcher also found differences between the sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5. “BA.4 and BA.5 differ from each other by three amino acid mutations outside the spike protein,” he explained.

The impact of differences on virus phenotype needs to be determined, de Oliveira said, adding that the work is underway to characterize them.

“Vaccination remains the key intervention to protect against severe disease, hospitalization, and death from all known variants, a he said.

Botswana detects new Covid Omicron sub-variant

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Botswana detects new Covid Omicron sub-variant

The Botswana Health Ministry says it has detected a new lineage of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.

The infected are currently being monitored to establish more information on the potential impact of the disease and its severity, the BBC reported.

The new sub-variant, designated as Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 has already been detected in three other countries and on four people in Botswana.

The four people were fully vaccinated and had been experiencing mild symptoms.

So far, no conclusions have been made to establish whether this sub-variant is more transmittable than the known Omicron variant.

This happens as the World Health Organisation announces it is tracking a few dozen cases of the two new sub-variants of the highly transmissible Omicron strain to assess whether they are more infectious or dangerous.

Pakistan reports 62 new Covid-19 cases, 1 more death

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Pakistan reports 62 new Covid-19 cases, 1 more death

Pakistan has reported 62 new Covid-19 cases and one more death, the country’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

According to the data released by the Ministry, the country’s overall tally of Covid-19 cases has risen to 1,526,728, including 1,486,960 recoveries as of Monday.

There are 9,406 active cases in the country, including 269 patients who are in critical condition, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Ministry added that one patient succumbed to the virus on Monday, increasing the death toll to 30,362.

Global Covid caseload tops 499.8 mn

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Global Covid caseload tops 499.8 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 499.8 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 6.18 million and vaccinations to over 11.11 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Tuesday morning, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 499,748,065 and 6,181,560 respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered has increased to 11,110,770,965.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 80,449,398 and 985,826 respectively, according to the CSSE.

India accounts for the second-highest caseload at 43,036,132.

The other countries with over 10 million cases are Brazil (30,161,909) France (27,166,205), Germany (22,878,428), the UK (21,807,532), Russia (17,745,453), Italy (15,320,753), South Korea (15,635,274), Turkey (14,965,867), Spain (11,627,487) and Vietnam (10,198,236), the CSSE figures showed.

The nations with a death toll of over 100,000 are Brazil (661,576), India (521,691), Russia (364,506), Mexico (323,725), Peru (212,486), the UK (170,715), Italy (160,863), Indonesia (155,674), France (144,505), Iran (140,650), Colombia (139,725), Germany (132,017), Argentina (128,233), Poland (115,635), Spain (103,104) and South Africa (100,096).

New Zealand reports 11,063 new community cases of Covid-19

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New Zealand reports 11,063 new community cases of Covid-19

New Zealand has recorded 11,063 new local area instances of Covid-19, the Ministry of Health said in a proclamation on Tuesday.

Among the new local area diseases, 1,984 were accounted for in the biggest city Auckland, the Ministry added.

Likewise, 47 new instances of Covid-19 were distinguished at the New Zealand line, Xinhua news organization detailed.

As of now, 622 Covid-19 patients are being treated in New Zealand emergency clinics, remembering 23 individuals for escalated care units or high reliance units. The Ministry likewise detailed 16 additional passings from Covid-19.

New Zealand has revealed 784,285 affirmed instances of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

New Zealand is at present at the most noteworthy Red settings under its Covid-19 Protection Framework, during which indoor get-togethers are restricted to 200 individuals, unbounded for open-air social occasions.

Mumbai man, 67, confirmed as first Omicron XE case

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Mumbai man, 67, confirmed as first Omicron XE case

It’s official. The first case of coronavirus variant Omicron XE has been detected in Mumbai, and confirmed by the NCDC, Delhi, officials said on Saturday.

The infectee is a 67-year-old male who had traveled from Mumbai to Gujarat’s Vadodara, where he suffered from mild fever on March 12.

His samples were sent for genome sequencing tests and the results, which came out on Saturday, showed it to be Omicron XE.

He was fully vaccinated with Covishied, is totally asymptomatic and stable, and now the process to trace his contacts is currently underway.

The development comes three days after a major fiasco when a South African woman film costume designer was declared an Omicron XE infectee, but, later the Centre denied it.

The Omicron XE variant is a combination of BA.1 and BA.2 strains of Omicron and is found to be responsible for enhanced viral transmission as per preliminary reports.

The government has said there is no cause for worry as frequent changes in the genomic structure are part of the natural life course of viruses but advised people to exercise all precautions.

Researchers help develop highly accurate, 30-second Covid test

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Researchers help develop highly accurate, 30-second Covid test

A team of researchers has helped develop a Covid-19 testing device that can detect coronavirus infection in as little as 30 seconds as sensitively and accurately as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, the gold standard of testing.

According to a recent peer-reviewed study published by the University of Florida group, like PCR tests, the device is 90 percent accurate, with the same sensitivity.

It could transform public health officials’ ability to quickly detect and respond to the coronavirus, or the next pandemic.

“There is nothing available like it,” said researcher Josephine Esquivel-Upshaw from the University of Florida.

However, it is not yet approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

First, researchers said, they have to ensure that test results are not thrown off by cross-contamination with other pathogens that might be found in the mouth and saliva. These include other coronaviruses, staph infections, the flu, pneumonia, and 20 others. That work is ongoing.

The hand-held apparatus is powered by a 9-volt battery and uses an inexpensive test strip, similar to those used in blood glucose meters, with coronavirus antibodies attached to a gold-plated film at its tip. The strip is placed on the tongue to collect a tiny saliva sample. The strip is then inserted into a reader connected to a circuit board with the brains of the device.

If someone is infected, the coronavirus in the saliva binds with the antibodies and begins a dance of sorts as they are prodded by two electrical pulses processed by a special transistor. A higher concentration of coronavirus changes the electrical conductance of the sample. That, in turn, alters the voltage of the electrical pulses.

The voltage signal is amplified a million times and converted to a numerical value – in a sense, the sample’s electrochemical fingerprint. That value will indicate a positive or negative result, and the lower the value, the higher the viral load.

The device’s ability to quantify viral and antibody load makes it especially useful for clinical purposes, researchers said.

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