The BA.2.75 variant, nicknamed “Centaur”, was first spotted in India in early May. Cases have since increased sharply and apparently faster than those of the highly contagious BA.5 variant
Virologists are raising concerns about the emergence of yet another fast-spreading Omicron variant, which is rapidly gaining ground in India and has already reached the UK, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper.
The BA.2.75 variant, nicknamed “Centaur”, was first spotted in India in early May. Cases have since increased sharply and apparently faster than those of the highly contagious BA.5 variant, which is also present in India and is rapidly displacing the previously dominant BA.2 variant in many countries.
“Centaur” has also since been spotted in about 10 other countries, including the UK, US, Australia, Germany and Canada. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) classified it as a “variant under surveillance” on July 7, meaning there is some evidence it could be more contagious or linked to more severe disease, but the evidence is not yet evaluated. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also closely monitoring the new variant, but there are not yet enough samples to assess its severity.
In addition to its -obvious- rapid growth and wide geographic spread, virologists have been struck by the sheer number of additional mutations BA.2.75 contains, relative to BA.2, from which it is likely to have evolved .
“It is difficult to predict the effect of so many mutations occurring together. It gives the virus a ‘wild card’ quality,” says Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College London, who was the first to spot the Omicron mutation in November 2021. Even if it doesn’t take off in other countries, the development of India suggests it is likely to be an issue there, at least, Peacock added.
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