Experts eyeing latest Omicron type for immune evasion
As has been the case with previous newcomers in the Omicron lineage, it seems highly unlikely that the hyper-mutated BA.2.86 variant will trigger more severe illness. However, it’s not yet…
Hyper-mutated Omicron variant BA.2.86 spreads across the globe
A new hyper-mutated variant BA.2.86 has been detected in Israel, Denmark the UK, the USA, South Africa and Canada. It has also been detected in wastewater in Switzerland and Thailand.…
Mainland China, Hong Kong, S. Korea see Omicron surge, hospitalizations, deaths
There’s an ongoing increase in the number of Coronavirus cases – driven by the Omicron BA.2 variant – in countries that had earlier managed to largely control spread of the…
NYC reports 30% of new Coronavirus cases are the Omicron BA.2 variant
The more transmissible version of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus known as BA.2 now accounts for about 30 percent of new cases in New York City, health officials said,…
UK COVID-19 cases rise sharply, expected to peak in April
The United Kingdom reported a further 90,349 COVID-19 cases on Friday, driven largely by the BA.2 Omicron variant. Around 5.6 per cent of people in London had tested positive in…
China marketplace was the source of SARS-CoV-2 emergence, 2 studies find
Geographical clustering of the earliest known COVID-19 cases and the proximity of positive environmental samples to live animal vendors suggest that the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China –…
UK study confirms lower risk of death from Omicron vs Delta
The risk of dying from COVID-19 was 67% lower for people infected with the Omicron variant compared to the earlier Delta strain, a study, yet to be peer-reviewed, has found.…
Omicron displaces Delta, South African study finds
South African researchers have discovered that the Omicron infection enhances neutralizing immunity against the Delta strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, suggesting that Omicron will help push Delta out, and decrease…
Omicron resists most monoclonal antibody treatments, studies suggest
Preliminary experiments suggest that most of the antibody treatments for the disease are powerless against Omicron, 1, 2, 3, 4. Several publications posted on preprint servers report laboratory evidence that…
UK and South African studies suggest fewer hospitalizations due to Omicron
Studies from the United Kingdom and South Africa suggest fewer people are being hospitalized after being infected by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 than prior strains of the virus. It…