The presence of new micron subspecies is growing along with COVID cases in Argentina

Over the past week, cases have appeared Corona virus disease Their number has doubled in Argentina, according to the nation’s health ministry. 85% of people diagnosed with this infection, which is caused by SARS-CoV-2, reside in Buenos Aires City and Buenos Aires Province, i.e. Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA).

This increase in COVID cases will be related to the circulation of new subspecies of OmicronHow BQ.1.1 s XBBwhich was identified through the Proyecto País initiative of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Likewise, it must be kept in mind that the number of samples analyzed by genetic monitoring does not represent all COVID cases diagnosed by the test. In addition, not all people today have access to a PCR test.

Testing is only available in public institutions for people over 50, those with severe conditions, health workers or long-stay institutions, such as nursing homes, and those who require hospitalization for acute respiratory illness.

The first substrain of the Omicron variant was identified in samples from COVID patients in December last year. A month ago it was discovered in Africa. Then it became a variant of exclusive interest worldwide during the year 2022. Since then, subspecies of Omicron have arisen resulting in an increase in cases.

But thanks to the high protection due to vaccine coverage, the number of hospitalizations and deaths was not as serious as those recorded during the past two years of the pandemic. Especially when the gamma variant hit the country, between March and June last year.

According to the new report by Proyecto País, one of the new Micron subspecies identified in Argentina is called BQ.1 and one of its derivatives is known as BQ.1.1. It began to be detected in samples from people staying at AMBA, between October 9 and 21.

During the last two weeks of November, BQ.1 subspecies and its derivatives were associated with 62.5% of analyzed cases, explained the report of the scientific consortium composed of researchers from Conicet, Ricardo Gutiérrez Children’s Hospital, and INTA, among other public institutions.

“The BQ.1 strain and its derivatives show mutations associated with immune evasion,” Argentine experts warned. Therefore, they recommended that the population strengthen care measures and apply booster vaccinations to prevent severe COVID-19.

Proyecto País researchers also report that other emerging strains have been discovered, such as the recombinant XBB strain (two cases) and lineages derived from BA 2.75 (BN and BY). XBB is already found in 35 countries, including Argentina.

In some Asian countries, such as Singapore, XBB trading has been associated with an increase in COVID hospital admissions. However, there is no evidence that this Omicron substrain causes more severe conditions in affected people than other variants do.

consulted before infobae A few days ago, Dr. Humberto Debat, researcher in virology at the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) and member of Proyecto País, commented: “The XBB substrain has higher levels of evasion than other micron sublines and the ancestral strain of MERS-CoV.”

showed that XBB is a recombinant derived from the Omicron subspecies BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75. This could mean that people who have had COVID with the BA.4 and BA.5 subchains (which are the most recent prevalence) may be at risk of reinfection. This may indicate that people on bivalent doses (which include the BA.4 and BA.5 subchains) do not have high protection against XBB, but more studies are needed to prove this.”

According to the Proyecto País report, “in line with the current global epidemiology of coronavirus variants, a translocation of the BA.4 and BA.5 basal strains was observed,” which was associated with 100% of infections in AMBA at the end of August and beginning of September for BA.5 derivatives (such as BQ) “.

A partir del analysis of the secuncia of las muestras of pacientes with COVID, los resultados se compartieron with el Sistema Nacional de Vigilancia de la Salud de la Argentina y se depositaron los genomas en la base de datos GISAID, donde son accesibles por investigadores de todo the scientist.

The experts concluded that “molecular surveillance and genetic analysis of cases of community circulation will be continued in order to rapidly monitor the presence, emergence and evolution of variants of national and international epidemiological significance for SARS-CoV-2.”

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