Key TakeawaysAn Omicron subvariant, called BA.2.75, has been detected at low levels in various countries.Experts still don’t know a lot about how the variant will affect people in the U.S.Vaccination and mask-wearing are still the best protective measures against BA.2.75.
Key Takeaways
An Omicron subvariant, called BA.2.75, has been detected at low levels in various countries.Experts still don’t know a lot about how the variant will affect people in the U.S.Vaccination and mask-wearing are still the best protective measures against BA.2.75.
While BA.5 continues to dominate the U.S. COVID-19 cases, health officials are keeping an eye on another Omicron subvariant, called BA.2.75.
Some Twitter users and media reports have unofficially called BA.2.75 “Centaurus” after a Twitter user dubbed it as such.
BA.2.75 was first detected in India in May. Since then,23 countriesand 10 U.S. states have recorded cases of the variant. But cases remain rare—BA.2.75 is responsible for fewer than 0.5% of U.S. cases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is keeping an eye on the variant, but it’s too early to know whether the variant can spread or cause more severe disease than other variants.
Omicron BA.5 and its sister, BA.4, quickly overtook the prior Omicron variants because they contained mutations that allowed them to infect and spread more easily. Both subvariants now account for more than 93% of the U.S. COVID cases.
What to Know About Omicron BA.5 Reinfections
What Differentiates BA.2.75?
The new variant is an offshoot ofBA.2, the Omicron variant that drove the recent winter COVID-19 surge. BA.4 and BA.5—the sister variants which are responsible for the vast majority of cases now—also stem from BA.2.
The WHO is tracking BA.2.75 as an Omicron subvariant “under monitoring.” If there’s enough evidence that the variant is different enough from other variants, it may get labeled as “variant of concern.”
Scientists have noted nine mutational differences from BA.2 in the spike protein and five outside that region.
It’s too soon to know just how those mutations will impact the disease course for someone infected with it. Ultimately, the number of mutations is not as important as the disease outcomes for those who get sick with it, saidWaleed Javaid, MD, FACP,an epidemiologist and director of Infection Prevention and Control at Mount Sinai Downtown Network.
Current Vaccines Are Probably Protective
There’s little real-world data about how well the variant can escape immunity from vaccination and prior infection. And it’s not yet clear just how transmissible it is compared to other variants.
But some early lab studies give clues about how BA.2.75 may compare with other Omicron variants.
They also found that the monoclonal antibodybebtelovimab, which is the only therapy that appears to prevent death in patients hospitalized with Omicron, is pretty responsive to BA.2.75, too.
Since most of the available data comes from India, it’s not yet clear how well the variant will compete at a global level. And only time will tell whether it contends with BA.5 in the U.S.
“Guessing these things is a little bit difficult. To say ‘this mutation will worsen this pandemic’ is not something we can easily say,” Javaid told Verywell. “We have to wait, watch, and see.”
Get Vaccinated: COVID Isn’t Over
Many people in the U.S. have some degree of immunity against COVID-19. More than 70% of people eligible for vaccination in the U.S. are fully vaccinatedand some 44% may have recovered from natural infection.A new, more transmissible variant may not necessarily cause a surge in hospitalizations and deaths given this population immunity.
Still, only about a third of Americans are fully vaccinated with a first booster shot. An even smaller portion has gotten their second booster dose.
Studies indicate that a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine boosts immunity to Omicron variants 20-fold compared to a two-dose regimen.A fourth dose for those older than 50 years further bolsters the immune system.
Ultimately, the protective measures that experts have long touted—vaccination, mask-wearing, and good hygiene—continue to be the best ways to prevent COVID-19 sickness.
More COVID-19 variants arelikely to evolvein the coming months.
“Hopefully the lethality of the virus will kind of start to go down to a point that will be nothing more than a common cold,” Javaid said.
In the meantime, he emphasized the need to take protective measures, regardless of the variants at hand. And with the recentauthorization of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine, there are even more vaccine platform options for those who haven’t yet received the shot.
“I still see people who are unvaccinated going to the hospital, going to ICU, and dying. It hurts to see that,” Javaid said.
What This Means For YouThe best way to protect yourself against BA.2.75, and all COVID-19 variants, is to be fully vaccinated and receive a booster shot. People who are 50 years or older should also get a second booster dose.
What This Means For You
The best way to protect yourself against BA.2.75, and all COVID-19 variants, is to be fully vaccinated and receive a booster shot. People who are 50 years or older should also get a second booster dose.
The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID Data Tracker: Variant proportions.
World Health Organization.Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Cleveland Clinic.What to know about COVID-19 variants.
Wang Q, Iketani S, Li Z, et al.Antigenic characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant BA.2.75.bioRxiv. 2022. doi:10.1101/2022.07.31.502235
Cao Y, Yu Y, Song W, et al.Neutralizing antibody evasion and receptor binding features of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75.bioRxiv. 2022. doi:10.1101/2022.07.18.500332
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID Data Tracker.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Estimated COVID-19 burden.
Pajon R, Doria-Rose NA, Shen X, et al.SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant neutralization after mRNA-1273 booster vaccination.N Engl J Med.2022;386:1088-1091. doi:10.1056/NEJMc2119912
Novavax.FDA advisory committee recommends emergency use authorization of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 18 years and older.
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