MOSCOW, September 20, Salma Sultanova.Rospotrebnadzor warns that the new strain of SARS-CoV-2 — «pyrola» — is more contagious than its predecessor «omicron». Is there a threat of a new outbreak of a pandemic, how dangerous is this virus and whether we need to rush with vaccination — in the material .
Coronavirus again. Will there be restrictions?
Pyrola (line BA.2.86) was first identified in July in Denmark. By August it had reached the USA, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, France, Great Britain, Israel, South Africa and Thailand.
There have been no deaths so far. They are not talking about a lockdown anywhere, but they are doing something. For example, in the UK they launched an autumn vaccination campaign earlier than planned. Those over 65 will be vaccinated first.
The new strain has not yet been detected in Russia. Nevertheless, Government House employees were required to wear masks and reduce the number of visitors, business trips and contacts with each other. No more than three people per elevator. According to the operational headquarters for combating coronavirus, the number of hospitalizations is growing. The incidence increased in 70 subjects. But Rospotrebnadzor excludes the introduction of a mask regime without compelling reasons.
What is “pyrola”
It is clear that this is another version of the «omicron». There are about 30 additional mutations in the S protein, more than other subvariants, including XBB.1.5 («kraken»), which dominated for a time in the United States before being supplanted by EG.5 («eris»). With the help of the S protein, the virus penetrates cells — the more mutations, the easier it is to deceive the immune system. In this regard, the World Health Organization had to take the situation under surveillance.
BA.2.86 likely evolved from BA.2, a sublineage known as «stealth omicron». According to Yale Medical School associate professor Scott Roberts, the same number of mutations distinguished «omicron» from «delta» — one of the early strains. The expert adds that it is too early to judge how contagious the virus is and how long it will remain with us.
Senior researcher at the Institute of Immunology and Physiology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Candidate of Medical Sciences Mikhail Bolkov also draws parallels with the “delta”.
“In fact, “omicron” is evolutionarily older than “delta,” although it appeared later. The fact is that it circulated for a long time in the body of immunodeficient people. Competing with other viruses and constantly evading the immune system, “omicron” was able to accumulate many mutations. The same the story with «pirola» — it is older than other subvariants of the «omicron». It simply began to spread only when it mutated enough. Mutations are differences on the surface of the virus. The immune system does not recognize them and therefore allows the pathogen further into the body. Hence the infectiousness. But according to in essence, this is the same “omicron,” says the immunologist.
Do I need to be vaccinated against COVID-19
According to Mikhail Bolkov, it makes no sense to get vaccinated right now, especially for those who have been vaccinated or have been ill. All available vaccines are ineffective against Omicron, as they are designed for previous strains.
“Everyone, to one degree or another, has encountered different types of coronaviruses, which means they have protection. These viruses have many antigens, but only one mutates — the one on the surface. Our immune system is armed against different proteins of the virus, including those that are inside it, but they are the same. So we are not unarmed, we have an accumulated fighting potential thanks to immune memory,» explains the expert.
A multivalent vaccine against different strains could help. However, most likely, a surge in pyrola will occur in the next couple of months. It is impossible to create a vaccine in such a period of time.
Olga Ulankina, a doctor and expert at the Hemotest laboratory, believes that those who work with a large number of people or use public transport daily during rush hours should be vaccinated.
“Several vaccines have been registered in Russia, among them Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V), nasal Gam-COVID-Vac, Sputnik Light. Practice shows that they reliably protect against severe disease. In addition, there is the world's first vaccine against COVID-19 based on a nucleocapsid protein, Convasel, which is believed to be effective against new strains due to the fact that mutations usually affect the surface S protein, and the vaccine interacts with the nucleocapsid protein, which less volatile.»
Vladimir Neronov, Doctor of Medical Sciences, infectious disease specialist at Meditsina JSC (academician Roitberg’s clinic), reminds that modern strains are very different from the maternal “Wuhan” one, on the basis of which vaccines were synthesized.
“No vaccination will give a 100% guarantee. Vaccination allows the immune system to receive information about a related virus, and upon contact, so-called cross-immunity can work, alleviating the disease,” he says.
In addition, a seasonal increase in incidence is inevitable in the autumn-winter period. They already vaccinate against the flu. Neronov recommends not to neglect this.
Lahta Clinic infectious disease doctor Svetlana Serebriakova believes that we should not expect a powerful wave of coronavirus infection this fall. Of course, there will be some kind of surge, but in any case, domestic vaccines will help.