New coronavirus variant takes over, raising concerns of winter surge

The spread of BQ.1.1 is of concern because several small studies published earlier this month show that the variant circumvents antibody immunity, the body’s first line of defense against infection. Because it suggests that it is the best by far.even those who have recently received New Bivalent Booster Shot from Pfizer or Moderna — Updated to match The previously dominant BA.5 variant — Shockingly low antibodies to protect against new viruses.

Dr. Daniel Kritskes, director of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said: But he said those who received the new booster had more antibodies to BQ.1.1 than those who received the original booster alone. “So it’s better than nothing.”

Researchers also warn that BQ.1.1 may pose a greater threat to immunocompromised people and those who develop severe infections.. Throughout the pandemic, drugs made from synthetic antibodies have helped prevent or treat infections in people at high risk of developing serious illness. Fewer remain effective.

As a result, the remaining two antibody drugs were―― Bebuterobimab to treat COVID-19 When Evusheld to prevent it — not expected to work for new variants.

Dr. William Hanage, associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, said: .

recently published data from Massachusetts Department of Public Health The number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths has remained relatively flat this fall, suggesting that in some cases it may be slowing. Wastewater data It also shows that the spread of the virus has plateaued across the state, at least for now.

Bronwyn McInnis, director of the Pathogen Genome Surveillance Division at MIT and Harvard’s Broad Institute, said:

Whole country data also from the CDC reflects that finding, and suggests that new variants, including BQ.1.1, are replacing BA.5 without a corresponding increase in infections, Kuritzkes said. “It’s more of a churn than a real uptick.” But he and others expect that to change, as cold weather and holidays lead to more people gathering indoors.

Dr. Jeremy Luban, professor and virologist at UMass Chan Medical School, sees signs that BQ.1.1 is becoming more contagious. “What that means is that if you walk into a crowded bar, you’re more likely to catch the virus than you were with the previous variant, and you’re more likely to infect more people,” he said. I was.

“It could set off another wave,” Louvain added, but tempered that undesirable prediction with the prediction that things might not be so bad this time. It’s unlikely to fill up like that,” he said.

In fact, now that the pandemic is nearing the end of its third year, many scientists say immunity to the virus is greater than ever before, and Omicron’s new offshoot is causing as many hospitalizations and hospitalizations as before. I don’t think it causes death. Antibodies to BQ.1.1 may be low, but another arm of the immune system is T cells help prevent many mild infections from becoming severe.

“For the vast majority of people who have been vaccinated, there is no particular reason to be concerned about BQ.1.1,” Hanage said.

tablets such as paxlovidIt is also expected to work against new variants that interfere with viral replication. The most concerning mutation is in the spike protein used by the virus. cause infection. COVID vaccines work their immune system to make antibodies that block spikes, but the more the virus evolves, the fewer antibodies that recognize spikes and prevent infection.

During the pandemic, some Labs have been working to figure out how well our antibodies hold against emerging variants. The preliminary findings of BQ.1.1 published by several groups this month are not encouraging.

1 study A study led by Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, found that people who received a recently updated booster shot had higher antibody levels to BQ.1.1 compared to BA.5. was found to be approximately seven times lower. “This suggests that BQ.1.1 poses challenges for innate immunity, not just vaccines,” he said.

Two other studies from Emory Vaccine Center and the University of Texas Medical School BQ.1.1 antibodies were found to be approximately 4- to 6-fold lower than BA.5 antibodies in those who received the renewed booster. BQ.1.1 antibodies were even lower and sometimes undetectable in people who received the first booster He only had one or He had two doses.

Pei-Yong Shi, Director of the Sealy Drug Discovery Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical School, said: He says BQ.1.1 antibody levels are “not very stable,” but thinks his research suggests the new booster is better.

Ruban said these antibody studies report similar data, but the conclusions scientists are drawing from them lean toward a half-full/half-empty scenario. Some stressed that the new booster raised antibodies to BQ.1.1, while others emphasized that those antibodies were still lower than scientists would like, he said.

“It’s good that we’re starting to see an expanding immune response, but we’re nowhere near where we should be,” said Mehul Suthar, an associate professor at the Emory Vaccine Center who led one of the studies. rice field.

Vaccine makers are reporting their own findings on BQ.1.1 through an optimistic lens.a preprint A new booster announced last week by scientists from Pfizer, BioNTech and Shi’s lab showed a 4.8-fold increase in BQ.1.1 antibodies. This is a fact advertised in the company’s statement. The statement does not point out that antibodies are still lower against BA.5 or its variants than the original virus.

Cambridge-based Moderna Said The new booster spurred a “strong” antibody response to BQ.1.1, the statement said, without providing data.

Antibody immunity from mRNA vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna wears off rapidly, and with low BQ.1.1 antibodies to begin with, scientists expect breakthrough infections to be common.

“Current vaccines, even with boosters, may not provide substantial and lasting protection against infection,” Barouch said. It is likely to provide substantial protection, which is the vaccine’s most important goal.”

When the virus slips past our waning antibodies and multiplies, we get sick. Unfortunately, scientists haven’t identified the exact levels of antibodies needed to stay healthy. Without that number, called the protection correlation, it’s hard to predict how nasty a new variant could be.

Massachusetts has one of the highest per capita vaccination rates in the nation, but experts say the relatively slow spread of new booster shots could make winters unnecessarily harsh. I warn you there is. According to the CDC, in the US only 11.3% of her over the age of 5 have received a new booster.

“The level of immunity to these new strains is largely determined by the timing from the last booster or natural infection,” said Kalpana, chief of staff and head of the infectious diseases division at VA Boston Health Care System. Dr. Gupta said. “And with these new variants coming out, it really makes sense to get that bivalent booster.”

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