The spread of “BA.4.6”, one of the main parameters of “Omicron”, was confirmed, without knowing how it appeared so far, according to the “Science Alert” website, which specializes in scientific news.
The latest report on Corona mutant, issued by the Health Security Agency in the United Kingdom, indicated that during the week that began on August 14, the new mutant “BA.4.6”, accounted for regarding 3.3 percent of infections in the United Kingdom, so that the percentage began to increase to form now. About 9 percent of recorded cases.
Similarly, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “BA.4.6” now represents more than 9 percent of recent cases recorded across the United States, and the mutated has also been monitored in many other countries around the world.
BA.4.6 is a new version of the BA.4 mutant, originally from Omicron.
Although “BA.4” was first discovered in January of this year in South Africa and has since spread around the world along with the “BA.5” variant, it is not entirely clear how the new mutant appeared, but it is possible To be a mixed mutant, according to scientific studies.
Is the emergence of the mutant a source of danger?
In an interview with “Sky News Arabia”, Dr. Dirar Balawi, a consultant in clinical drug treatment for infectious diseases, said that 70 percent of the infections spread around the world with the corona mutator are of the types “PA4” and “PA5”, but a while ago The PA4.6 mutant has begun to appear, but its spread is not so great so far, and its percentage of the mutant circulating in a particular country is still somewhat low.
The fear of the new mutant comes, according to Balawi, because it contains two mutations different from “PA5”, present in its spinal protein, and these two mutations were made to avoid the antibodies that the body naturally produced following receiving vaccines, or with laboratory-made antibodies and were not effective for this. mutated.
Balawi pointed out that out of the 16 drugs that were studied, it was confirmed that only one drug was able to actually be once morest this mutator.
A study has previously shown that the antibodies in EvoShield, the only treatment available to protect people with compromised immune function once morest Covid-19, may lose potency once morest the BA.4.6 sub-strain.
And the University of Oxford stated that people who received three doses of the Pfizer vaccine produce fewer antibodies in response to “BA.4.6”, compared to “BA.4”, or “BA.5”, and this is a concern, as this indicates that corona vaccines It may be less effective once morest the new mutant.
Regarding the most common symptoms of this mutant, Balawi explained, they are similar to those with the Omicron mutant, as the vast majority of infections are in the upper respiratory tract and rarely affect the lower respiratory tract, considering this a “positive thing” so that the health status of patients does not deteriorate or they need to enter care departments. superlative.
Notable symptoms of the new mutant include a runny nose, muscle aches, teary eyes, coughing, fever, runny nose, sneezing, and headache.
The consultant of clinical drug therapy for infectious diseases stressed that the spread of the new corona mutation requires that eyes remain open to it to know its spread through genetic sequence analyzes, in anticipation of its further spread, which calls for raising the degree of alert once morest it to become a “worrisome mutation.”
And the “Science Alert” website went to what Balawi confirmed, that careful monitoring of the new variables, including “BA.4.6”, is an urgent necessity, because it may lead to a next wave of the Corona pandemic.
It also requires the public, the need to take basic precautions and follow infection control methods to prevent the spread of the new mutation.