Omicron spawn BA.2.75, dubbed “Centaurus,” seemed like the COVID variant to watch this summer—one with the potential to wreak unprecedented havoc later in the year.
The World Health Organization announced in July it was tracking the concerning new variant, which had been identified in 10 countries, including the U.S., and was gaining ground against other transmissible strains of the virus like BA.5 in India.
Among BA.2.75.2’s concerning traits: Its spike protein binds to human cells tightly—better than any other variant so far, Rajnarayanan says.
The authors called the Centaurus spawn “the most neutralization-resistant variant evaluated to date,” and said it may effectively evade antibody immunity, built by vaccination and prior infection.
The variant could even escape immunity provided by the last monoclonal antibody treatment effective in currently circulating variants: Bebtelovimab.
Rajnarayanan and others, like the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, foresee a fall COVID wave in the U.S.
Such variants dodge antibody immunity, produced by B cells.
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