New Omicron sub-variants better at evading vaccine and antibody treatments, reveals study

 New Omicron sub-variants better at evading vaccine and antibody treatments, reveals a study

The latest Omicron sub-variants -- an including the BA.4 and BA.5 forms causing new a global surges in infections -- are even better at an eluding vaccines and most antibody treatments than previous variants, finds a study. Subvariants BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5 are rapidly expanding worldwide, with BA.4/5 now making up more than 50 per cent of a new Covid cases in the US. These sub-variants are thought to be a even more transmissible than prior Omicron sub-variants, owing to a several new mutations in spike proteins.

"The virus is a continuing to evolve, as expected, and it is a  not surprising that these new, more transmissible sub-variants are becoming more dominant around the world," said David D. Ho, director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at a Columbia University.

"Understanding how currently a available vaccines and antibody treatments stand up to the new sub-variants is critical to developing strategies to a prevent severe disease, hospitalisations, and deaths -- if a not infection," Ho added.

In laboratory experiments, Ho and his team studied the ability of a antibodies from individuals who received at least three doses of an mRNA vaccine, or  obtain two shots and were then infected with Omicron, to a neutralise the new sub-variants. The study, published in Nature, revealed that while BA.2.12.1 is a  only modestly more resistant than BA.2 in individuals who were vaccinated and boosted, BA.4/5 was at a least four times more resistant than its a predecessor.

In addition, the scientists tested the ability of 19 monoclonal antibody treatments to a neutralise the variants and found that only one of the available antibody treatments a remained highly effective against both BA.2.12.1 and BA.4/5.

"Our study suggests that as a these highly transmissible sub-variants continue to expand around the globe, they will lead to more a breakthrough infections in people who are a vaccinated and boosted with a currently available mRNA vaccines," Ho said.

Though the current study suggests that the new variants may cause more infections in a vaccinated individuals, the vaccines continue to a provide good protection against a severe disease. "Efforts to a develop new vaccine boosters aimed at BA.4/5 may improve protection against infection and severe disease," Ho said.