COVID-19 subvariants remain being discovered over two-and-a-half years after lockdowns were implemented in different parts of the world.
As specified in a Newsweek report, BA.2.75, a recent COVID-19 subvariant omicron variant, has increased number of cases of infection, particularly in Florida and Europe.
What is Centaurus? New COVID subvariant found in Florida and Europe. While omicron is still the most prominent variant in the U.S., the BA.2.75 subvariant was spreading faster than other omicron subvariants. #GetBoosted https://t.co/bCWrIhfszU
— Ian Weissman, DO (@DrIanWeissman) September 14, 2022
Also called the Centaurus variant, BA.2.75 was originally discovered in India early this spring and was labeled as such by a Twitter subscriber who decided to call the omicron subvariant after a constellation.
While the name is fast becoming popular, the World Health Organization has not yet adopted it.
Not Designated as a 'Variant of Concern'
The Medical News Today said omicron remains the most prominent COVID-19 variant in the United States, and the BA.2.75, according to reports, when it was first detected, was spreading more rapidly compared to other omicron variants.
The WHO has not designated Centaurus as a "variant of concern," although it monitors the strain. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, spoke at the Member State Information Session in July which he first announced the organization was closely following the subvariant.
In the US and Europe, B4.5 and BA.5 are driving waves. BA.2.75, a new sub-lineage omicron variant, has also been detected, which the WHO is closely monitoring.
The Most Common Variant in India
Ghebreyesus explained that many counties had reduced their COVID-19 testing measures, which, the health expert said, "can muddy " the actual picture of an evolving virus.
Also, as stated in various reports, BA2.75 infection still has not outnumbered those of its omicron subvariant predecessors, particularly BA.4 and BA.4.
Furthermore, reports showed that BA2.75 remains the most common variant in India, where it was first detected, and some data shared by a COVID-19 analyst Twitter user suggested that Centaurus variant infections have already peaked.
A Palm Beach Post report indicates that cases of this omicron variant have been detected in Florida, while a similar BA.4.6 subvariant is spreading in southeastern states.
Vitality of Vaccines
Based on the report, it remains unknown how infectious this subvariant is, especially for people who have already recovered from other subvariants of this COVID-19 variant.
More so, even though the newest COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna target specifically the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, they may defend against BA.2.75, as well.
The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved the vaccines' bivalent formulations for single booster doses given two months after a booster or primary vaccine.
The bivalent vaccines, which will be referred too as well as "updated boosters," contain two mRNA or messenger RNA components of SARS-CoV-virus; one of the original SARS-CoV-2 and the other one is common between BA.4 and BA.5 lineages of the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant, as specified in an FDA press release.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for people diagnosed with BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, mortality rates more than quadrupled for unvaccinated patients.
Related information about the Centaurus omicron variant is shown on Dr. Mike Hansen's YouTube video below:
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