Category: Testing
Preprint: Enhanced Fusogenicity of BA.4, BA.5 and BA.2.12.1
“We found that the new Omicron subvariants BA.4/5 and BA.2.12.1 were more resistant to neutralization by mRNA-vaccinated and boosted health care worker sera and Omicron-BA.1-wave patient sera than were the BA.1 and BA.2 variants.”… ...More...
USA: SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant spillover from human to horse
“A report on a possible direct exposure to SARS-CoV-2 from a COVID-19-positive individual to an adult horse.”
The individual, diagnosed with COVID-19 (Delta B.1.617.2), had daily contact to her two horses prior to and during the development of clinical disease.… ...More...
ECDC & WHO: Joint statement on hepatitis in kids
The World Health Organisation have issued a joint statement with the ECDC on the recent cases of hepatitis in children. … ...More...
Sardinia: XJ recombinant is at ~20% of sequences, XM at ~15%
In Sardinia, XJ and XM Omicron recombinants are at 19.67% and 14.75% of sequences respectively. BA.2 is at just 65.57% of sequences.… ...More...
Europe: BA.4 and BA.5 reclassified as Variants of Concern
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has issued an Epidemiological update on 13th May 2022. BA.4 and BA.5 have been reclassified as Variants of Concern.… ...More...
Long Covid: Viral fragments found in the body months after initial infection
Two teams have recently published results suggesting that pieces of SARS-CoV-2 can linger in the gut for months after an initial infection.… ...More...
UK: 1,880 cases of XE Covid recombinant sequenced
The UKHSA have released a new technical briefing outlining the SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in Britain. The latest case count for the XE recombinant is 1,880 cases in the UK, with 1,569 of those cases in England.… ...More...
South Africa: Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths rise in fifth wave
In a new report out today, an estimation of the current RO number in South Africa was revealed, along with evidence of increasing numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths across the country.… ...More...
France: Persistent Alpha variant infection in immunosuppressed patient in 2022
“We describe persistent circulation of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant in an immunosuppressed patient in France during February 2022. The virus had a new pattern of mutation accumulation.… ...More...
Brazil: 2 cases of XQ Omicron recombinant reported
Two cases of the subvariant of Covid-19 called Omicron XQ were registered in São Paulo this Thursday, 5th May 2022.… ...More...
Israel: The next Covid wave could be Delta
There is a real danger of another international COVID wave this summer, with the Delta variant possibly poised to make a comeback, new Israeli research suggests.… ...More...
USA: ABC reporter tests positive for Covid-19 after White House Correspondents’ Dinner *1 UPDATE*
In the least surprising news of 2022, ABC News’ Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl has tested positive for Covid-19 days after sitting next to Kim Kardashian at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and interacting with President Joe Biden.… ...More...
Italy: BA.4 detected in Lombardy
The BA.4 variant, the new Omicron sub-variant under consideration by the World Health Organization (WHO), has been genotyped in Monza, Lombardy.… ...More...
USA: BA.2.12.1 has transmission advantage of ~25% over BA.2 – *1 UPDATE*
CDC: “BA.2.12.1 might have a transmission advantage of about 25% over the BA.2 sub variant… The BA.2.12.1 sub variant makes up nearly 30% of sequences identified nationally.” … ...More...