“All eyes are now on a new sub-variant of the Delta strain of coronavirus, designated AY.4.2. This variant was first discovered in the UK in July 2021. It is now responsible for 6% of all COVID-19 cases in that country. The emergence of AY.4.2, on the one hand, indicates that the Delta strain is not the end point of the evolution of the virus, but on the other hand demonstrates that with the ongoing pandemic, the likelihood of the emergence of new variants of the virus, which may turn out to be even more dangerous, will remain in place,” Mikhail Kagan, Honored Doctor of Russia, leading scientific editor of the distance learning service for medical workers, told the Russian bureau of Report, commenting on the emergence of a new sub-variant of coronavirus.
According to the doctor, AY.4.2, discovered in other countries, including Russia, Israel and the US, differs from the classic Delta strain in a number of mutations: “The greatest attention is paid to two mutations of the spike protein Y145H and A222V. The significance of these changes in the genome of the virus is still unknown, but in such a situation, there are always concerns about whether the virus will become more infectious, more pathogenic and more capable of escaping the immune response caused by vaccines or a previous infection.”
The expert noted that WHO divides coronavirus strains into two groups for degree of the threat they pose: “The most dangerous are the VOC (Variant Of Concern) and the potentially dangerous ones are the VOI (Variant Of Interest). AY.4.2 has not yet been included in either the first or the second category and is regarded as an option that, although it doesn’t demonstrate the ability to explosive spread like the Alpha and Delta variants, but requires observation.”
Kagan believes that mass vaccination is the main and most effective way to stop the spread of the new strain.