Read on Twitter
Watching—South Africa
may have a new subvariant, 66% dominant—the BA2+L452R group is a #BA2 subtype that mixes with an infamously bad L452R mutation, found in Delta/Kappa/Lambda, & known to make #SARSCoV2 more infective & severe. 
sees early uptick too.
https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/South%20Africa/AllSamples/Past6M/variants/international-comparison?aaMutations=S%3AL452R&pangoLineage=BA.2*&
may have a new subvariant, 66% dominant—the BA2+L452R group is a #BA2 subtype that mixes with an infamously bad L452R mutation, found in Delta/Kappa/Lambda, & known to make #SARSCoV2 more infective & severe. sees early uptick too.https://cov-spectrum.org/explore/South%20Africa/AllSamples/Past6M/variants/international-comparison?aaMutations=S%3AL452R&pangoLineage=BA.2*&
2) the L452R — “Based on genome-wide phylogenetic analysis, emergence of both viral variants was specifically triggered by acquisition of L452R, suggesting a strong positive selection for this mutation.” https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/JCM.00921-21
3) “L452 is in immediate proximity to ACE2 interaction interface—L452R mutation is associated with immune escape & could result in a stronger cell attachment of virus, with both factors likely increasing viral transmissibility, infectivity, pathogenicity.” https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/JCM.00921-21
4) And yes, I want to emphasize that the variant may not necessarily be from South Africa per se… but it clearly is the first country to see BA2+L452R become dominant. These kinds of curves are never a good sign.
per se… but it clearly is the first country to see BA2+L452R become dominant. These kinds of curves are never a good sign.
5) Moreover, we know from recent mice study that Omicron-L452R variant strengthened the high infectivity. “Notably, Omicron-L452R greatly enhanced the ability of Omicron to infect lung tissues of humanized ACE2 mice.” https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-022-00941-z
6) And no, this is not even “XE”… XE is a mixture of BA1 and BA2. It’s slightly more contagious but I’m still waiting and holding off alarm bells on XE for a little bit longer. This BA2+L452R is different group.
https://medriva.com/what-is-the-omicron-xe-variant-and-why-are-scientists-concerned-about-their-rapid-transmission-rates-fueling-the-uk/
https://medriva.com/what-is-the-omicron-xe-variant-and-why-are-scientists-concerned-about-their-rapid-transmission-rates-fueling-the-uk/
