Do you still care about the new COVID variants?
Don’t confuse the new subvariants for these yellow fellows. (Screengrab: Bananas in Pyjamas via Youtube)
Hey, it’s probably been a while since you’ve heard anything about new COVID variants. Well, same. Since the last time I reported on it, the Omicron variant has acquired a whole alphabet of subvariants now: BA.5, BA.4.6, BQ.1.1, BQ.1, BF.7, BA.2.75.2, BA.4, XBB, and XBC.
Not to be confused with the latest iPhone model, these subvariants have been behind surges in different parts of the world—from BF.7 in China to XBB in Singapore. Many of them have new mutations which make them “more transmissible,” according to University of Colorado Health infectious disease expert Dr. Michelle Barron.
“The other concern is the potential for more severity. If it’s like the love child between Delta and Omicron [variants], that would be bad. But all of our information is still very premature,” Barron said.
Winter—and new variants—are coming
Most days I like to pretend that if I simply mask up and tune out the news, these new variants would stop emerging like a new Taylor Swift album every few months. The latter I can get behind. (Stream Anti-Hero.) The former? Not so much—especially when their names and lineages are getting harder and harder to track.
(READ ALSO: Maybe we should just name variants catchy names like “Centaurus” again.)
"The way COVID, like any other virus, mutates, creates new variants is by spreading," said Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady. Every new infection is “an opportunity for the virus to mutate just a little bit in the genetics of it.”
So colder weather and more infections—not to mention comorbidities like HIV—can produce more mutations? Got it. This is fine.
Double trouble for immunity
As of last weekend, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed how these different variants were faring in the US. Of all variants, BA.5 remained the most dominant, causing 62.2% of known cases in the US. But not long before that, experts had sounded the alarm over two off-shoots of BA.5, BQ.1 and BQ1.1, which have been gaining steam.
Chief Medical Advisor to the White House Dr. Anthony Fauci called the pair “pretty troublesome”—like a pair of bananas in pajamas, except less cuddly and more likely to give you a harder time on top of a sore throat, cough, and runny nose. Fauci said their “doubling time,” or how quickly they spread, makes them extra concerning. Earlier this month, the UK Health Security Agency also reported that BQ.1 and BQ1.1 grew faster than BA.5, the most contagious strain at the time.
Some good news: The new BA.4 and BA.5-specific shots can still provide some cross protection against the two, according to Fauci. Not-so good news: Only less than 10% of eligible Americans have gotten boosted. Bad news: Everything I know about man’s propensity for complacency during an unprecedented global event, I learned against my will.
The Philippines is currently dealing with a troublesome pair too. ICYMI, the Department of Health (DOH) reported locally transmitted cases of XBB and XBC in at least 11 regions last week. The agency found 81 cases of XBB in Western Visayas and Davao Region, and 193 cases in Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, Western Visayas, Davao Region, Bangsamoro Region, and the National Capital Region, among other regions.
But things are going to be alright with a new DOH undersecretary now—right?
The quest for "normal"
After all my infodumping, are you still as concerned about these new variants as you were in the summer of 2020, with dalgona coffee in hand and thoughts of doomsday in mind? It’s cool if you aren’t. It’s simply human nature to lose interest in things after prolonged periods of time, especially when a positive test these days just means a week off work for most people.
Long COVID is still a thing, but admittedly it’s more comforting to believe the light at the end of the tunnel is near. COVID is just going to be another cold and new boosters will become another flu shot that needs updating every year. Besides, who doesn’t want things to go back to normal?
For one, governments all over the world are prioritizing economic recovery now, given decreases in COVID spending after two long years. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself said that a new Health Chief won’t be necessary until after COVID “normalizes.” With mask wearing indoors now declared voluntary as of this afternoon, Marcos Jr. seems adamant to make good on his word last Sunday: Now that the pandemic is “fading away,” it’s high time we “go back to work.” (Not that we ever stopped, but I digress.)
