What is the threat of the centaur strain from the Corona virus?

What is the role of vaccines in addressing it?

Are we witnessing a threat from Corona in the winter?

the centaur

Ben Krishna, a postdoctoral researcher in immunology and virology at the University of Cambridge, was reassured about the new strain of coronavirus, BA 2.75, known as Centaurus.

In an article on The Conversation, he said that the "PA2.75" strain would fade without a large wave of infections.

Krishna emphasized that the next Omicron strain and the next pandemic would inevitably come, suggesting strategies to deal with it.

The World Health Organization has classified PA2.75 as a variant of interest rather than a variant of concern, meaning it is being monitored, but there is no evidence yet that it will cause problems.

PA 2.75 may have peaked

The number of infections with the “PA2.75” strain is still relatively low, yet it has become more common in India (it was first discovered last May), which indicates that it has advantages over the current strains, and some have noted that this strain is spreading in areas India, where it does not have to compete with BA.5, but with the strain from which BA2 evolved.

However, some data from India suggests that PA2.75 may have already peaked, and more importantly there has been no significant increase in hospitalizations or deaths in India from this strain.

The concern about PA2.75 is that it has picked up a number of mutations, which may indicate that it can evade immunity, but there is no good evidence at this point that this strain can evade the immune system significantly.

Thanks to vaccination, if we encounter a PA 2.75 wave, we will not expect the level of deaths and hospitalizations seen previously in the epidemic, but we know that large numbers of cases can cause significant disruption, and most importantly, the continuous wave of new variables remains a deadly threat. For people at risk, how do we overcome this?

Comprehensive COVID-19 Vaccines

One solution could be universal COVID-19 vaccines, which would work against any of the strains of corona. It is difficult for a fish to swim away.

In addition to providing immunity against new variants of corona, a universal coronavirus vaccine may also provide immunity against the upcoming coronavirus pandemic, and it appears that some of these vaccines are about to move into clinical trials in the next few years.

Vaccines that stimulate respiratory immunity

Another solution might be to produce vaccines that stimulate better immunity in the respiratory tract. These largely include vaccines given through the nose, and training the immune system to produce more antibodies in the nasal and throat mucus.

This type of immunity may help stop coronavirus infection and prevent replication at the point of entry into cells, which could slow the rate at which new variants emerge. At least 12 of these intranasal vaccines have been given in clinical trials.

Are we witnessing a threat from Corona in the winter?

The answer may be yes, as a few days ago a statement published by the United Nations website warned of a difficult winter awaiting the European region, according to the World Health Organization, as at this time last year, the World Health Organization-European Region spoke of a new wave of Covid-19 sweeping the region, driven With a delta variable, amid deregulation and increased mixing.

And it is now clear that the situation is similar to what happened in the summer of last year, "Only this time the wave of Covid-19 continues and is driven by sub-strains of the Omicron variant, especially "PA2" and PA5, and each dominant sub-strain of Omicron shows transmission advantages over previously circulated viruses.

The WHO/European Region has released its Autumn/Winter strategy to tackle COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, and help prepare for the next waves of infections.

The strategy includes:

  • Increased uptake of vaccination among the general population.

  • Give a second booster dose to immunocompromised persons 5 years of age and older with whom they are in close contact, and consider providing a second booster dose to specific high-risk groups, at least 3 months after the last dose.

  • Encouraging the wearing of masks in enclosed spaces and public transportation.

  • Ventilate crowded and public places, such as schools, offices, and public transportation.

  • Implement strict treatment protocols for those at risk of serious illness.