The British Government confirmed that it “closely follows” the appearance of a “descendant” of the delta variant of the coronavirus, which could be between 10% and 15% more transmissible than this, which is already twice as contagious as the original SARS-CoV-2.
Experts have called it “AY.4.2” and warn that its frequency has increased in the United Kingdom, where it could now be responsible for almost 10% of COVID-19 cases, as explained by two experts to the Financial Times (FT ).
Its prevalence, they added, is increasing rapidly, but not as fast as the first delta did after moving from India to India earlier this year.
This “new lineage of SARS-CoV-2” is “descendant” of the delta variant (B.1.167.2) and “has two characteristic mutations” in protein S, “Y145H” and “A222V”, which could offer to the virus advantages to survive, Francois Balloux, one of the two experts cited by the FT, pointed out in the Science Media Center publication.
If preliminary tests are confirmed, “AY.4.2” could become the most infectious variant of the coronavirus since the pandemic began, said Balloux, director of the Institute of Genetics at University College London.
“But we must be cautious at this time. The United Kingdom – he specified – is the only country in which it has taken off in this way and I would not rule out that its growth is due to a fortuitous demographic event ”.
However, it is “likely” that the World Health Organization (WHO) I classify it as a “variant under investigation,” so I would then assign it a letter from the Greek alphabet, Balloux said.
Even so, he asked not to “panic” because, although it could be “slightly more transmittable”, it will not be “something as disastrous as what we have previously experienced.”
Meanwhile, an official spokesman for the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, stressed that the authorities are “closely monitoring” its evolution and assured that “we will not hesitate to take the necessary measures.”
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