The worst virus variant just arrived. The pandemic is not over.

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:

Jonathan Lemire
@JonLemire
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“BA.5 is the worst version of the virus that we’ve seen.”

“It takes immune escape, already extensive, to the next level, and, as a function of that, enhanced transmissibility well beyond earlier versions of omicron”

washingtonpost.com
Opinion | The worst virus variant just arrived. The pandemic is not over.
The arrival of subvariant BA.5 should be a reminder that the finish line in this race is nowhere to be seen.
6:51 AM · Jul 8, 2022

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/07/worst-virus-variant-just-arrived-pandemic-is-not-over/

No paywall
https://archive.ph/ygltb

The pandemic is a relentless race against Mother Nature. Waves of infection took millions of lives, and only highly effective vaccines prevented even more deaths. Now, the coronavirus is speeding up once again, mutating, evading immunity and still on the march. The arrival of subvariant BA.5 should be a reminder that the finish line in this race is nowhere to be seen.

What’s BA.5? This is the latest subvariant of omicron, which stormed the planet late last year and caused a huge wave of infection. As of now, BA.5 and a closely related variant, BA.4, account for about 70 percent of all infections in the United States, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based in part on modeling. These two newcomers are easing out an earlier variant, BA.2.

The obscure names should not hide the punch of BA.5. Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, says that BA.5 “is the worst version of the virus that we’ve seen.” He adds, “It takes immune escape, already extensive, to the next level, and, as a function of that, enhanced transmissibility,” well beyond earlier versions of omicron. There has not been a marked increase in hospitalizations and deaths, he reports, because there is so much immunity built up from the winter omicron wave. But there are aspects of this new variant very much worth keeping an eye on as the United States remains stuck at an uncomfortably high plateau of pandemic misery. And the new variants are driving a case surge in Europe.

At the core of the BA.5 difference is its biology. Evolution has given it more fitness, a term that incorporates its ability to transmit, grow and evade immunity; the variant shows “marked difference from all prior variants,” reports Dr. Topol. One way it does so is by evading the body’s immune system, and BA.4 and BA.5 together are “the most immune-evasive variants” seen in multiple studies to date.

*snip*

[Wounded Bear]

1. K & R...for visibility...nt

[BannonsLiver]

2. Paywall

I guess WaPo doesn’t want me to read this opinion article on the worst variant so far.

[USALiberal]

3. You think they should work for free? Nt

[BannonsLiver]

8. What are you on about?

[USALiberal]

17. Let me know when you start a free newspaper

[halobeam]

28. Weren't there a number of articles that were made free, so everyone had access to the latest

pandemic information?

IIRC, I don't think they made anything else free, just the public safety ones.

[róisín_dubh]

70. Yes there were, though I think that stopped some time ago. nt

[halobeam]

90. TY!!

[badhair77]

6. There's an archive link in the op, labeled no paywall. Worked for me.

[BannonsLiver]

7. Found it. Thanks.

[Nevilledog]

26. I provide a no paywall link on all my posts.

Did it not work for you?

[orleans]

64. (how do you do that?) nt

[Nevilledog]

65. I use this site 👇

https://archive.ph/

You put the url of the paywalled article in the blue box first. Lots of times someone has already archived the article and you can click on it and copy the url.

If it hasn't been archived, you put the url in the red box and it will archive it and you'll have the url

[orleans]

66. nice. thanks. nt

[AkFemDem]

4. Does vaccine/prior infection still offer lessened severity

With this variant? Anyone know?

[Phoenix61]

9. From the post.

. There has not been a marked increase in hospitalizations and deaths, he reports, because there is so much immunity built up from the winter omicron wave.

[wnylib]

52. And yet, the article also says that BA5 evades the immune system

Which is it?

[Dorian Gray]

72. It's both

it evades antibody immunity but not T cell/B Cell immunity. (Vaccines and prior infection will help your body fight off the infection so it won't be as serious.)

Obviously every body is different, so this is a generalized understanding of cellular immunity response. If you have comorbidities or other health conditions, take proper precautions. Everybody get vaccinated. Mask in crowded places. Outdoor events. Etc.

[wnylib]

80. I never stopped wearing my mask.

I have comorbidities, so I have had both boosters, too, but it is now 4 months since the second booster, so my antibodies are diminished.

[Dorian Gray]

92. I get it.

I got loosey goosey after my husband and daughter recovered two months ago. But cases going up here in nyc, and we are back to masking in public.

[CrispyQ]

5. Hardly any masks in my area.

Friends & family post photos of get-togethers all without masks. Personally, I'm not resigning myself to getting it, much less getting it over & over. Being an introvert is finally paying off.

[Ms. Toad]

10. Likely what I had -

Since I was infected 21 days after my last booster (which triggered my strongest vaccine-related immune response of the 4).

At least 25% of the 100 members of the dive group I was with were infected. All of us were vaccinated (it was a requirement to participate).

As to the plateau - of the 25% who tested positive, I'm only aware of 4 of us reporting to our local health departments. So the plateau is probably not really a plateau.

[Hugin]

13. Even the so-called fields-of-green weak water chart at...

CAN has turned a disturbing shade of burnt amber.

Plus, we're monkeying around with monkeypox.

[Ms. Toad]

54. Far as I know, we don't have that yet! n/t

[Iggo]

11. "The worst virus variant just a arrived." This is bad news.

“The pandemic is not over.” This is not news.

[Hugin]

12. Is this the FAFO variant?

Only time will tell.

[Turbineguy]

14. Maybe it will save RWNJ's the trouble

of shooting so many people.

[AmBlue]

67. and maybe...

It will take out a few shooters!!!

[Phoenix61]

15. It's an opinion piece.

Ba4 and Ba5 are an offshoot of Ba2. None of which were anywhere near as deadly as Delta. This virus isn’t going anywhere.

[LisaL]

16. On the contrary it is going everywhere. It is as infectious as measles.

NT

[USALiberal]

18. Link please

[Phoenix61]

19. Opps

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01730-y

[LisaL]

20. That article doesn't claim BA.5 is intrinsically leass deadly.

What it says that we build so much immunity from vaccines and previous infections it appears less deadly.
But it's amazingly infectious, so vaccines and previous infections don't work well in stopping the spread. Further, based on animal studies BA.5 is more deadly than original Omicron.

[Phoenix61]

22. What it says is Whether BA.5 will lead to more severe disease isn't clear yet

“Like other omicron subvariants, BA.5 infections are milder than infections with other COVID strains, like delta.”
https://amp.dw.com/en/omicron-ba5-no-one-is-fully-protected/a-62094786

[LisaL]

24. What it doesn't say that it's of no concern and is going nowhere.

NT

[Hekate]

33. It's also a Los Angeles Times straight-news piece today. Not in the opinion section.

[Celerity]

38. it is not just an opinion piece, it is an official WaPo Editorial by their entire board

[Phoenix61]

39. Oh, excuse me. It's an "official" opinion piece.

From a newspaper. Not from a scientific journal but a newspaper.

[Ron Green]

21. I have it right now.

Picked it up Sunday evening at a music job I played on the Coast - a great time had by all, mostly outside under a big canopy. Exactly 3 days later, Bang.

It’s like a bad cold, y’know? I’m sure my 4 vaccine shots are keeping me out of the hospital.

[róisín_dubh]

71. My mum has it as well.

She said she's fine. And she's a rather frail 67 year old woman, though she's in general very healthy. I made her get on FaceTime to prove it, as I live abroad and was worried.

[RAB910]

23. this is panick mongering

Is BA5 unwelcome and will it make things worse? yes

Is the fear-inducing claim and headline justified? no

The obscure names should not hide the punch of BA.5. Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, says that BA.5 “is the worst version of the virus that we’ve seen.” He adds, “It takes immune escape, already extensive, to the next level, and, as a function of that, enhanced transmissibility,” well beyond earlier versions of omicron. There has not been a marked increase in hospitalizations and deaths, he reports, because there is so much immunity built up from the winter omicron wave. But there are aspects of this new variant very much worth keeping an eye on as the United States remains stuck at an uncomfortably high plateau of pandemic misery. And the new variants are driving a case surge in Europe.

Now you can't have the part that I put in bold and have "the worst version of the virus we have seen"

[LisaL]

25. It appears by "worst" he means the "most infectious."

We build up a lot of immunity so hospitalizations and deaths hopefully won't explode.
But infections are going to go up, especially considering people stopped masking and distancing.

[RAB910]

27. That's not how "worst" works

"Worst" is when a variant causes the most hospitalizations and deaths. If it just makes you sick for a few days, that is not exactly a major problem. I mean the common cold can make you sick for a few days

[LisaL]

36. It's worst of the Omicrons so far.

NT

[Phoenix61]

40. Nope.

In a study that will soon be posted to the medRxiv preprint server, Jassat and her colleagues found that South Africa’s BA.4 and BA.5 wave led to similar rate of hospitalization but slightly lower death rate when compared with the country’s earlier Omicron wave. Both Omicron surges proved much milder, in terms of hospitalizations and deaths, than the country’s ferocious Delta wave.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01730-y

[LisaL]

44. Slightly lower death rate is because people build up a lot of immunity.

It's not intrinsically less lethal. Animal studies suggest it is more severe.

[Hugin]

62. Let me chime in...

It is at this point infecting the less vulnerable. Many of the more vulnerable are gone from the pool.

Also, not good. It does partially explain the reduction in excess deaths.

Still, COVID is at least the third leading cause of death in every age group according to the CDC data.

[Dorian Gray]

73. Topol is a smart man

whom I follow on infectious diseases. But the headline of the article was alarmist. Was he responsible for that? I don't know. Alarmism can make people stop paying attention bc they're burnt out.

[live love laugh]

43. It really is overkill. If you're vaxxed relax.

Wear a mask and you will be fine.

[LisaL]

51. Vaccines don't work well against BA.5.

It also escapes natural immunity from previous infections.

[live love laugh]

55. I just had it. I'm vaxxed. It's likely mild

even if contracted if vaxxed as my case was a few days sniffles and stuffy nose. No meds needed.

[AntivaxHunters]

56. Everyone is different

Just because it was mild for you doesn't mean it is for everyone else.
There's many factors which go into play.

[live love laugh]

61. According to numerous articles it's milder.

I’m well aware of differing results but from the start, it’s been said though fast spreading it’s resulting fewer hospitalizations.

That’s true for me and those I traveled with as well as reports by those here when I posted about it.

[LisaL]

63. Hospitalizations are going up in many places.

NT

[Dorian Gray]

76. That is true

but not ICU admissions. Which is GREAT news. (So far.) We need to keep an eye on this, of course.

[AntivaxHunters]

78. They sure are

Link to tweet

?s=20&t=Vm_9LYpEFtFVRjuqacM6TQ

[AntivaxHunters]

77. "Milder"?

Mask up because it's NOT just about you.
BA5 is much more infectious & contagious.

Hospitalizations are up.

Link to tweet

?s=20&t=Vm_9LYpEFtFVRjuqacM6TQ

[live love laugh]

89. Two things can be true.

That is, the symptoms aren’t worse but it’s more infectious ie. “worst” in terms of transmissibility.

[Dorian Gray]

75. Of course there are many factors

one of the most important is being vaccinated and boosted. That is the most likely way to make sure you won't be hospitalized or killed from the disease.

[LisaL]

57. My vaxxed and boosted friend got it right now.

Let me tell you my friend doesn't feel so good, even after taking Paxlovid (and it would have been worse without Paxlovid). My relative was vaxxed and boosted and still died from covid earlier this year.

[Dorian Gray]

74. Vaccines DO work great

they prevent severe infection and death. They are doing what they should be doing.

They do not prevent spread, which is unfortunate. But they provide our T Cells and B cells the information they need to fight severe infection, and I wouldn't want to go into this without being vaccinated and boosted.

[LisaL]

85. I am not suggesting people didn't vaccinate.

But current vaccines don't offer much protection against infection and symptoms with BA.5. Neither do previous infections. So people who are vaxxed and boosted are still going to get infected in large numbers.

[Dorian Gray]

91. The reality is that

Thanks ro vaccines and vast numbers of prior infections, icu visits, severe disease and deaths are down. Hospitalizations are increasing but not icu or deaths. Thank goodness and hope it stands.

[James48]

29. To those of you botching about paywalls-

Nothing in life is free.

You have to decide who should pay for things you want. In the internet, either you are the customer buying to product-
-OR-
You are the product being sold. It’s really that simple.

Personally, I prefer to do the buying. I subscribe to Washington Post and to NY Times.

Both are very reasonably priced to begin with.

When they try to hit you up with an expensive renewal, simply decline, wait a month or two, and you’ll find very discount offers available to resubscribe.

I will happily pay $3 a month for WAPO.

When they try to hit me for a $17 a month renewal, I turn it down. Then they offer me 3 months for $5. That works for me.
Rinse.
Repeat.

[flying_wahini]

30. What he is trying to say is that we are fucked.

Now our vaccines won’t help. The variants have figured out how to get around it.

[Mister Ed]

35. The mRNA vaccines can be modified fairly quickly and easily...

...to work against new virus variants.

It's a race, and the virus is always ahead. I predict we'll eventually be getting the latest coronavirus vaccine each fall, along with our annual dose of the latest flu shot.

[LisaL]

45. Not quickly enough.

While they are working on the previous variant, covid has already moved on.

[Grokenstein]

31. But an ignorant trumpointee ended mask mandates! So the pandemic's over! /s

That's how it works, right? also /s

[wiggs]

32. What we are learning about long covid has to be added to the discussion. Covid

isn't just about reported case numbers, hospitalizations, and deaths.

[LoisB]

34. It has never been over.

[Skittles]

58. correct

all the stupid, selfish assholes around us have made sure of that

[LoisB]

59. Exactly! Even as their own friends and family members drop dead. As the great Ron White said

"you can't fix stupid".

[Ford_Prefect]

37. As someone who has had COVID, even though I had been vaccinated, I do NOT want to have any variant!

You can debate all the precious linguistics you wish. COVID is nasty and damaging in any form and can cause long term disabling issues.

I don't give a damn who didn't cut and paste to anyone's satisfaction.

ALL of the variants are still around and you can have them more than once, even if you have them out of sequence because there is NO long term immunity. 2-3 months after the boosters you're vulnerable to a disease that has many ways of invading your body and many sites within it which can be attacked at the same time.

This is to say nothing about those fools who insist they have the right to put the rest of us at risk. Nor for that matter does it address those who minimize the dangers because they are ignorant of reality either here or in the rest of the world.

It is NOT like the FLU or any other common disease any of you have had. It is more like cancer in that it can promote dangerous conditions throughout your body while it is doing its own thing.

It is painful, and exhausting. It affects your mind and your body independently and in parallel. Depending on other conditions like diabetes or heart disease the danger of serious collateral damage is high. It can also be outrageously expensive to survive it.

[Pinback]

41. The virus will continue to thrive and evolve, aided by the millions of Americans

who can’t be bothered to take even the simplest precautions for the greater good. Reminds me of Trump’s statement on January 6th: “Let the virus in! It’s not here to kill me.”

Those of us whose age or other factors place us at significant risk from infection (not to mention Long COVID), have to look out for ourselves and each other. The “Fuck You, Me First” mindset that guides a huge portion of American society will continue keeping us masked and/or isolated for a while longer.

[uponit7771]

69. If every America 100% followed every rule to 100% degree CV19 would still be around and never

... eradicated.

Virus's don't leave earth because we don't want them here they become less virulent through stages of human precautions.

[AntivaxHunters]

79. Masks were an essential part of defeating the Spanish Flu

and not wearing one would land you in jail.

We eradicated the Spanish Flu. We eradicated TB. We can eradicate Covid.

[uponit7771]

93. Neither Spanish flu or TB were eradicated, that's not true.

[AntivaxHunters]

96. That would depend on what your definition is

[Dorian Gray]

95. The Spanish Flu and TB

were never eradicated.

Spanish Flu evolved and is still around today.

You're spreading untrue information.

Masks are an important resource, of course. Please wear them in crowded places. I do. I support that messaging. But the previous poster was right. This virus has no chance at eradication. ZERO covid is an impossible strategy at this point. There are animal reservoirs and it's running rampant around the world. So we need to learn how to live and keep ourselves healthy, especially when community transmission is high.

[Pinback]

81. My post does not posit a future in which COVID ceases to exist.

I have no such illusions and did not intend to convey that viewpoint.

I would, however, like to live again in a world where the risks of severe COVID outcomes are minimal -- for everyone who's vaccinated (yes, even for the vast majority of the cohort who are older and/or immune-compromised). As you put it, a world where COVID is "less virulent through stages of human precautions." The widespread carefree behaviors that help COVID-19, its variants, and sub-variants continue to mutate and spread put that goal out of reach, for now.

We're not going to vaccinate our way out of this pandemic, as Dr. Michael Osterholm of CIDRAP likes to point out. It's going to take an array of policies and practices to get it under control.

Chickenpox, diphtheria, hepatitis, measles, meningitis, mumps, rubella, whooping cough -- these diseases all still exist in the world (as does bubonic plague!). Yet, they do not pose a daily threat to most of us because of a combination of effective public health measures, vaccines, and medicines that keep them at manageable levels throughout most of the world.

[uponit7771]

94. Currently in US the risk of severe COVID for nominal health vaccinated is already minimal. Severe

... meaning hospitalized or dead no long covid because there is long cold / flu symptoms currently for any cold / flu variant so "long [virus]" is always going to exist.

We have already vaccinated our way out of this pandemic in the US for nominal healthy, there is going to be residual proportions / total amounts post any pandemic.

This virus is following the path of the other virus's in human kind, there's has few to no data that shows it has deviated from the overall path of virus's that came before it.

[liberal_mama]

82. People can at least take steps to stop the spread during surges

Good masks and avoiding crowded areas can save people from multiple infections.

[LisaL]

88. Most people are now living as if covid was over.

Well it isn't.
And the official infection numbers are highly misleading, since a lot of people are just using in-home tests and not reporting their infections.
But it's clearly going around, I know of multiple people who have recently gotten infected, despite being vaxxed and boosted.

[YoshidaYui]

42. I don't think if will ever be over

with each new variant that comes along...I will always be wearing a N95 from now on. They come in black, a very symbolic color for this shit TRUMP allowed to grow and Flourish on his watch.

[liberal_mama]

46. I have two family members hospitalized with Covid now + a girl I know is hospitalized with her 5th

Covid infection. I'm not sure what variant they have, but they are all severely ill. The girl who has had Covid 5x in 2 years is diabetic now and the hospital is having trouble getting her blood sugar down. People need to wear a mask and at least try to social distance and avoid crowded indoor areas or they will just keep getting infected again and again.

[maxsolomon]

47. That's terrible.

5 times in 2 years! Was the Covid was causal for the Diabetes, or that it was coincidental? I'd never heard it caused diabetes.

[liberal_mama]

48. There have been multiple large studies showing an increased risk for developing diabetes after Covid

infection. However, for her, it could still be a coincidence. But 5 infections in 2 years is just shocking to me. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00912-y

[LisaL]

50. It is shocking.

How did she manage to get infected five times? Does she not take any precautions?

[womanofthehills]

53. Quite a few people posting on social media about having Covid 3 or 4 times

Some drs believe having Covid more than once can lower your white blood cells. People are posting blood work results.

[Hugin]

49. KnR n/t

[Truth_Serum]

60. Sigh...

I don't think I'll ever see the end of coronavirus in my lifetime, due to what will probably be never-ending new variants. I also think I'll be wearing masks for the rest of my life. 😷 🦠

[uponit7771]

68. True, CV19 along with every other virus including aides will be around for trillions of years ...

... and we'll need to take practical precautions against them including levels of natural immunity.

[dwayneb]

83. BA5/bivalent vaccine coming in the fall

Sounds like Moderna has a bivalent vaccine available for the fall.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/moderna-bivalent-covid-vaccine-appears-work-omicron-subvariants-ba4-ba-rcna34712

[TheFarseer]

84. But is it more deadly?

If it’s more transmissible but it’s like a bad cold, I don’t care

[liberal_mama]

86. But what about long term effects from repeated infections? I don't want to get Covid 3 or 4x a year

until I am disabled or dead. The new studies coming out about reinfections are very troubling. It's not just a matter of getting Covid and the only outcomes are that you either survive or die.

[LisaL]

87. Exactly.

People who don't die could very well end up with long term consequences. Even so-called mild infection is not necessarily harmless.

[liberal_mama]

97. I know many people who have Long Covid. My husband had Covid in January and he still has lingering

brain fog and fatigue. Good masks are a necessity with these highly contagious variants. I am astonished that so many people are willing to go maskless and get reinfected multiple times.