New Coronavirus Mutation Raises Concerns in India
2022-07-12
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1A new mutation of the coronavirus is raising concerns after appearing in India and other nations.
2Scientists say the mutation is genetically linked to Omicron, an earlier version, or variant, of the coronavirus.
3The new mutation, called BA.2.75., is being called a "subvariant" of Omicron.
4Omicron and another coronavirus version, Delta, have spread widely across the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.
5Researchers say they are studying the new subvariant to find out whether it might cause more serious disease than past Omicron versions.
6"It's still really early on for us to draw too many conclusions," said infectious disease expert Matthew Binnicker.
7He is director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
8Binnicker told The Associated Press that especially in India, the rates of infection with BA.2.75. appear to be showing an "exponential increase."
9The latest mutation has been found in several distant states in India.
10It appears to be spreading faster than other versions in those areas, said Lipi Thukral.
11She is a scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi.
12The subvariant has also appeared in about 10 other countries, including the United States, Australia, Germany, Britain and Canada.
13Shishi Luo is the head of infectious diseases for Helix, a company that supplies viral sequencing information to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
14She told the AP the fact that the latest mutation has already been discovered in many parts of the world -- even with lower levels of viral surveillance -- is an early sign that it is spreading.
15Health experts are concerned about a large number of mutations that separate the new subvariant from older Omicron versions.
16Some of those mutations are in areas that could permit the virus to attach to cells more effectively, Binnicker said.
17Another concern is that genetic differences may make it easier for the virus to get past antibodies produced in the body as a reaction to a vaccine or an infection from earlier versions.
18But health officials still believe vaccines and booster shots are the best defense against severe COVID-19.
19Later this year, it is likely the U.S. will get new vaccine formulations to target more recent Omicron versions.
20Disease experts say it may take several weeks to get a sense for how the latest Omicron subvariant may affect the direction of the pandemic.
21Dr. Gagandeep Kang studies viruses at India's Christian Medical College in Vellore.
22She told the AP the latest mutation demonstrates the need for continued efforts to closely follow viruses that combine genetic efforts with real world information about who is getting sick and how badly.
23"It is important that surveillance isn't a start-stop strategy," Kang said.
24Helix's Shishi Luo says BA.2.75 shows that the coronavirus is continuing to mutate and spread.
25"We would like to return to pre-pandemic life, but we still need to be careful," she said.
26"We need to accept that we're now living with a higher level of risk than we used to."
27I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A new mutation of the coronavirus is raising concerns after appearing in India and other nations. 2Scientists say the mutation is genetically linked to Omicron, an earlier version, or variant, of the coronavirus. The new mutation, called BA.2.75., is being called a "subvariant" of Omicron. 3Omicron and another coronavirus version, Delta, have spread widely across the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. 4Researchers say they are studying the new subvariant to find out whether it might cause more serious disease than past Omicron versions. 5"It's still really early on for us to draw too many conclusions," said infectious disease expert Matthew Binnicker. He is director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Binnicker told The Associated Press that especially in India, the rates of infection with BA.2.75. appear to be showing an "exponential increase." 6The latest mutation has been found in several distant states in India. It appears to be spreading faster than other versions in those areas, said Lipi Thukral. She is a scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi. 7The subvariant has also appeared in about 10 other countries, including the United States, Australia, Germany, Britain and Canada. 8Shishi Luo is the head of infectious diseases for Helix, a company that supplies viral sequencing information to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She told the AP the fact that the latest mutation has already been discovered in many parts of the world -- even with lower levels of viral surveillance -- is an early sign that it is spreading. 9Health experts are concerned about a large number of mutations that separate the new subvariant from older Omicron versions. Some of those mutations are in areas that could permit the virus to attach to cells more effectively, Binnicker said. 10Another concern is that genetic differences may make it easier for the virus to get past antibodies produced in the body as a reaction to a vaccine or an infection from earlier versions. 11But health officials still believe vaccines and booster shots are the best defense against severe COVID-19. Later this year, it is likely the U.S. will get new vaccine formulations to target more recent Omicron versions. 12Disease experts say it may take several weeks to get a sense for how the latest Omicron subvariant may affect the direction of the pandemic. 13Dr. Gagandeep Kang studies viruses at India's Christian Medical College in Vellore. She told the AP the latest mutation demonstrates the need for continued efforts to closely follow viruses that combine genetic efforts with real world information about who is getting sick and how badly. "It is important that surveillance isn't a start-stop strategy," Kang said. 14Helix's Shishi Luo says BA.2.75 shows that the coronavirus is continuing to mutate and spread. 15"We would like to return to pre-pandemic life, but we still need to be careful," she said. "We need to accept that we're now living with a higher level of risk than we used to." 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 18________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20mutate - v. to cause a gene to change and create an unusual characteristic in a plant or animal 21conclusion - n. the final part or result of something 22exponential - adj. an intense increase in something 23sequence - n. the order in which nucleotides (chemical substances) are combined to form DNA 24surveillance - n. the careful watching of a person, place or situation 25booster shot - n. an extra amount of a substance that is injected with a needle into a person or animal to help protect against a particular disease 26formulation - n. the activity of creating or preparing something 27strategy - n. a detailed plan for achieving success in situations such as war, politics, business, industry, etc. 28___________________________________________________________ 29What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 30Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.