The Omicron subvariant referred to by the name of BA.5 has been first identified in South Africa in February 2022. It then spread quickly across the globe. In June 2, 2022 BA.5 represented almost 80 percent of COVID-19 variants within the United States.
Then, shortly after researchers in South Africa reported the first variant of the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) on November 24, 2021. Many researchers speculated that if the multiple mutations rendered it more transmissible, or more adept in the ability to evade immune attack than the previous delta variant, Omicron could become the most popular variant in the globe.
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How Is Virus Transmissibility in a Population Measured?
The fundamental reproduction number, known as R0, measures the transmissibility of the virus in an uninfected but not yet infected population.
When a certain proportion of people in a given population develop immunity due to an earlier infection or vaccination, epidemiologists employ to refer to it as an effective number for reproduction known as”Re or Rt” to determine the transmission of the virus. It is estimated that the Re for the Omicron variant has been calculated as being 2.5 times greater than deltas. The increased transmission probably has helped Omicron beat the delta in order to be the predominant variant.
The bigger question, then is, what is driving the development of Omicron sublineages? The answer is the well-known process of natural selection. The process of natural selection involves the evolution in which traits that confer a species the ability to reproduce are passed down to the subsequent generation and those that aren’t eliminated due to competition. While SARS-CoV-2 continues to infect the population nature-based selection is likely to favor those mutations that provide the virus the most chances of survival.
What Makes Omicron And Its Offshoots So Stealthy At Spreading?
A variety of factors are responsible for the increased transmission of variants of SARS-CoV-2. One of these is the capacity to be more specific to the receptor for ACE2 which is a protein within the body that is primarily used to control blood pressure but can aid in the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into cells. The most modern Omicron sublineages are characterized by mutations that help them be better in escaping protection from antibodies and still being able to effectively bind ACE2 receptors. The BA.5 sublineage has the ability to be able to evade antibodies from vaccination and prior infections.
Omicron sublineages BA.4 and BA.5 have a number of mutations in common with the earlier Omicron sublineages, however, they also possess three unique variants: L452R, F486V and the reversion (or the absence or absence of mutation) of R493Q. The mutations in L452R as well as F486V of the spike protein aid in helping BA.5 get rid of antibodies. Additionally to that, the L452R mutation aids the virus to bind more efficiently on the cell membranes of the host cell, an important characteristic that is associated with COVID-19 severeness.
While the variation found in BA.5, F486V, may assist the sublineage to escape certain kinds of antibodies, it might hinder its ability of it to bind to ACE2. Incredibly, BA.5 seems to compensate for the decreased ACE2 binding capacity through a different mutation called R493Q reversion which is believed to help restore its attraction to ACE2. The ability to overcome immunity, while retaining its ability to connect to ACE2 may have been a factor in the rapid spread of across the globe of BA.5.
What’s Next?
The BA.5 subvariant is not the final outcome. If the disease continues to spread the evolutionary process is likely to lead to the development of transmissible variants capable of escaping immune defense.
Although it’s difficult to determine which variants will come out next, we can’t eliminate the possibility that some variants can lead to an increase in the degree of disease and increased hospitalization rates. While the disease continues to develop the majority of people will receive COVID-19 at least three times regardless of their being vaccinated. This can be challenging and confusing for some people and can result in a lack of vaccination. It is therefore important to realize that vaccinations can protect you from serious diseases and even death however, they do not guarantee being infected.
The work done over the past 2.5 years has allowed scientists like me to discover many things about this latest virus. However, many questions unanswered remain as the virus continually changes, and we’re left trying to hit a continuously shifting goalpost. Although changing vaccines to be compatible with circulating variants is a possibility however, it is not feasible in the near term due to the fact that the virus is evolving rapidly. The use of vaccines that produce antibodies against a wide range of variants of the SARS-CoV-2 and a variety of diverse treatment options such as monoclonal antibodies and antiviral medications are essential in fighting COVID-19.
