BA.2.75.2: the new Omicron strain showing a worrying ability to evade immunity
- The strain has two mutations that make it even more adept at locking on to human cells
- Researchers in China say it has an unprecedented growth advantage
Scientists have identified a new strain of the Omicron coronavirus variant that, according to laboratory studies, is the most adept at dodging immunity.
The new strain, BA.2.75.2, is a sublineage of the BA.2.75 variant, which was initially reported in India in May and gained attention for its growth advantage.
But now the new BA.2.75.2 strain is looming as a bigger threat with two mutations that make it even more likely to bind to human cells for infection, according to researchers.
Worse still, the strain shows a strong ability to evade immunity from vaccination and previous infection, possibly making antibody treatments less effective.
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Highly contagious new Omicron subvariant BA.2.75 latest global Covid challenge
A group of researchers from Imperial College London, the Karolinska Institutet and the University of Cape Town identified “extensive escape” by BA.2.75.2. On average, it is 6½ times more difficult to neutralise, or block from infection, than BA.5, making it the most “neutralisation resistant variant” assessed to date, they said.