The emergence of a new variant is just a matter of time, so what’s next after Omicron?
brought a fresh wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections and anxiety at the start of 2022, some nations are starting to record a decline in case numbers. But after two years of oscillating between pandemic surges and retreats, even people in these countries cannot help but wonder“I think it is inevitable that we will see new variants with varying degrees of immune evasion,” says Andrew Rambaut, who studies viral evolution at the University of Edinburgh, UK.
There is no way to know for sure when a variant will become dominant, or whether it will rise to the status of a ‘variant of concern’ — meaning that there are signs that it has picked up worrying new properties, such asThe public is most familiar with the first dominant sub-variants of Omicron and Delta. But researchers have been tracking a host of related sub-variants that are jockeying for dominance. In the United Kingdom, for example, one Delta variant called AY.
Such dynamics are probably common in viral pathogens. But the world has not followed a viral infection so closely before, says Page, and as a result, scientists had been missing out on the fine print. That close scrutiny, however, is already diminishing: COVID-19 testing rates in the United Kingdom have declined, he notes, in part because Omicron tends to produce relatively mild disease.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The next variant: three key questions about what’s after OmicronThe emergence of a new variant is just a matter of time, so what’s next after Omicron?
Read more »
Wastewater data shows Omicron variant peak has passed in SaskatoonViral loads of SARS\u002DCOV\u002D2 in Saskatoon continue to decline.
Read more »
COVID-19: How Omicron overtook Delta in three chartsAnalysis reveals how much faster Omicron spreads and evades the immune system compared with the previous variant.
Read more »
As COVID cases go from 1 to 24,000, New Zealand takes new approachIt was the latest sign of just how radically New Zealand's approach to the virus has shifted, moving from elimination to suppression and now to something approaching acceptance as the omicron variant has taken hold.
Read more »
Guest Post by Cartesi (CTSI): Cartesi's Rebranding is Opening the Door to Blockchain, Mainstream, and Decentralization | CoinMarketCapCoinMarketCap's Pick – Article of the Day Cartesi's Rebranding is Opening the Door to Blockchain, Mainstream, and Decentralization cartesiproject BlockchainOS Cartesi CoinMarketCap CrypTown
Read more »
Omicron’s advantage, particle accelerators — the week in infographicsNature highlights three key graphics from the week in science and research.
Read more »