Beware of fatigue: the sub-variant of BA.2 remains dangerous
Despite the population’s fatigue with health measures and repeated protection advice, the BA.2 sub-variant represents a real threat that must be “absolutely” taken seriously, experts warn.
BA.2 is a major health risk, like BA.1 a few months ago, when it killed 7,000 lives nationwide warns in an email CoVaRR-Net, a network of interdisciplinary researchers set up to contribute to the Government of Canada’s overall strategy for tackling the threat of new emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2.
BA.2 is highly transferable (more than BA.1, the first sub-variant of Omicron, which predominated from December to February last), it is recalled, as it is contagious and more easily spread in our cells.
Thoughtful and appropriate protection measures
Given this high transmissibility and its rapid spread along with the reduction of public health measures, we can read on the CoVaRR-Net website, BA.2 stimulates the sixth wave of pandemic and increases both health risks to Canadians and the need for thoughtful and appropriate protection measures .
Although one may have the impression that the subvariants of BA.1 and BA.2 are more benign than the Delta variant and that the health risks associated with COVID-19 are decreasing or have passed, added of CoVaRR-Net, BA.2 remains a serious threat causing serious illness, hospitalization and death to Canadians every day .
” I think there is fatigue with COVID and people underestimate the impact BA.2 can have on health. “
– A quote from Denis Leclerc, virologist at CHU de Québec Research Center, member of CoVaRR-Net
The usual instructions, which probably don’t need to be repeated here, remain in place with the arrival of the Easter weekend where family gatherings will increase, Mr. Leclerc added.
The XE variant, a hybrid of BA.1 and BA.2
Beta, Delta, Omicron, BA.2 and now the XE variant (which we don’t quite know yet, except that it’s a hybrid of BA.1 and BA.2) … The list continues to grow and the coronavirus, as we often hear, is here to stay .
The vaccines we have to fight today will never get rid of it completely because they train the immune system to recognize the now famous spike protein on its surface. However, it is this protein that mutates and gives the virus its new identities, allowing it to at least partially escape our counterattack.
In order to be able to beat him once and for all, we must change our approach.
” We really need to start thinking about the emergence of new vaccines that will be more suited to the strains that are spreading today, much like we do with the flu virus, which contain four different strains to protect us. We may need to think about developing vaccines that will contain different proteins to ensure that we are given a broader spectrum of protection against coronaviruses. “
– A quote from Denis Leclerc, virologist at CHU de Québec Research Center, member of CoVaRR-Net
It is with this in mind that Mr. Leclerc and his colleagues are currently working on developing a vaccine that will teach the immune system to recognize a protein called a nucleocapsid.
Without this protein, the researchers explained, the coronavirus would not be able to replicate. Therefore, it is unthinkable, in a context of evolution and survival, for this protein to end up mutating.
The vaccine is from Quebec firm Medicago, which was approved in Canada but rejected by the World Health Organization because the biomedical minority belongs to tobacco company Philip Morris, which partially targets the nucleocapsid.
This will give us vaccines that will provide protection against all the strains that may come out , said Mr. Leclerc. There is a lot of proof of concept […] in the use of nucleocapsids in vaccination, but it is not something that has been marketed or widely used in humans.
But I think we got there with a coronavirus. It’s a strategy that’s really worth using because really, that’s what will get us out of this pandemic.
Beware of fatigue: the sub-variant of BA.2 remains dangerous
Despite the population’s fatigue with health measures and repeated...
Presidential in France: 500 artists, including Charlotte Gainsbourg, will vote for Macron
Guillaume Canet, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marc Lévy ... Nearly 500...
Computer equipment was stolen from the L’Axe medical complex in Chicoutimi
The Saguenay Police Department (SPS) is investigating a theft...
Paul Bettany leaves fans confused by talking about the possible return of the Vision in “Doctor Strange 2”
Actor gave an invasive answer when asked about a...
At the trial of the November 2015 attacks in France, Salah Abdeslam apologized
Tears and an apology to close his final interrogation:...
Alexander Zverev advanced to the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo
Alexander Zverev sweated cold but eventually defeated Jannik Sinner...