Bryan Barnfellow
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
CNN reports (with an update today) from a new pre-print study on variant BA.2 that suggests we are not out of the woods yet and it may be premature to relax restrictions.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/17/...nzCB7noO8wEqcKsiDFdLLpIdBCq9lwJZ26J75tWHWCw7s
Key takeaways:
"The BA.2 virus -- a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant -- isn't just spreading faster than its distant cousin, it may also cause more severe disease and appears capable of thwarting some of the key weapons we have against Covid-19, new research suggests.
"New lab experiments from Japan show that BA.2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants of Covid-19, including Delta.
"And like Omicron, it appears to largely escape the immunity created by vaccines. A booster shot restores protection, making illness after infection about 74% less likely.
"BA.2 is also resistant to some treatments, including sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody that's currently being used against Omicron.
The article suggests that prior Omicron exposure plus vaccine helps to provide some protection and that the group effects will be less dramatic (no surges) than those for individuals unlucky enough to catch this variant.
-BB
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/17/...nzCB7noO8wEqcKsiDFdLLpIdBCq9lwJZ26J75tWHWCw7s
Key takeaways:
"The BA.2 virus -- a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant -- isn't just spreading faster than its distant cousin, it may also cause more severe disease and appears capable of thwarting some of the key weapons we have against Covid-19, new research suggests.
"New lab experiments from Japan show that BA.2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants of Covid-19, including Delta.
"And like Omicron, it appears to largely escape the immunity created by vaccines. A booster shot restores protection, making illness after infection about 74% less likely.
"BA.2 is also resistant to some treatments, including sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody that's currently being used against Omicron.
The article suggests that prior Omicron exposure plus vaccine helps to provide some protection and that the group effects will be less dramatic (no surges) than those for individuals unlucky enough to catch this variant.
-BB
Last edited: