More details of the extraordinary growth of the BA.2.75 Omicron subvariant in India today.
An analysis by Josette Schoenmakers has shown that BA.2.75 (nicknamed “Centaurus”) has gone from 0% of genome sequences to 60% of sequences in just four weeks in Maharashtra, India. BA.5 now represents just 3% of sequences in Maharashtra, with BA.2.75 effectively skipping a generation to become dominant before BA.5 took hold.
Although the number of genome sequences is still too low to make a definitive call, this increase is another indicator of just how likely this subvariant is to cause severe problems in countries still experiencing the full force of the Omicron BA.5 wave. It’s just a matter of days before we start to see BA.2.75 appearing in the epidemiological reports from other countries.
This is a very important thread by Josette Schoenmakers, definitely one of those “Wow!” moments:
Because I think India is too big a country, I have analysed some of its provences.
Gujarat: BA.2.75 from 1 to 9% in 3 weeks, BA.5 fluctuating around 7%
Maharashtra: BA.2.75 from 0 to 60% in 4 weeks, BA.5 stable around 3%
— Josette Schoenmakers (@JosetteSchoenma) July 8, 2022
UPDATE 1 – 9th July 2022
Helix identified the third case of #BA.2.75 in the US, now in @GISAID. This #Omicron subvariant is causing some global concern because it may escape antibodies effective against other lineages, including BA.4/5 (which could indicate an increased ability for ppl to get reinfected)
