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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Rachel Hagan

New 'Centaurus' Covid variant detected feared to be most contagious version yet

Virologists have sounded the alarm over the emergence of another deadly Covid-19 Omicron variant which is rapidly spreading across the globe including Europe.

The BA.2.75 variant, nicknamed “Centaurus”, was first detected in India in early May and cases are rising steeply as it has been reported the new variant spreads at an ever faster rate than its cousins, the BA.5 and BA.2 variants.

Since spreading in India, Centaurus has reached the UK, US, Australia, Germany, Canada and now the Netherlands.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has assigned BA.2/75 as a “variant under monitoring”, meaning they are keeping a close eye on whether it could be linked to a severe bout of the disease.

Anaesthesiologist leads a team in turning a COVID-19 patient (Getty Images)

This latest strain has evolved with a huge number of extra mutations, giving it a “wildcard” effect, where "the sum of the parts could be worse than the parts individually", according to Dr Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College London.

Dr Peacock told the Guardian that it’s hard to predict the effect of that many mutations appearing together, but that he sees it as a potential candidate for what comes after the latest most deadly strain, BA.5.

Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva said that Centaurus might be more contagious than BA.5 Omicron subvariant given the severe spike of cases in India.

He said it appears to be becoming the dominant strain in India and poses the question of whether it will become the most prevalent one all over the world.

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Positive blood infection sample in test tube for Centaurus omicron (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Coronavirus hospitalisations in California have reportedly reached their highest point since February when the region was battling the omicron surge.

The World Health Organisation said in its latest update that globally, the number of new weekly cases increased for the fifth consecutive week after a declining trend since the last peak in March 2022.

During the week of 4 to 10 July 2022, over 5.7 million new cases were reported, a six per cent increase compared to the previous week.

The number of new weekly deaths was similar to that of the previous week, with over 9,800 fatalities reported. As of 10 July 2022, just under 553 million confirmed cases and over 6.3 million deaths have been reported globally.

Testing equipment for infectious diseases in the Microvida laboratory in The Netherlands (ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

A new wave of coronavirus infections is rapidly spreading through Asia, prompting warnings for residents from New Zealand to Japan to take precautions to slow the outbreak and help prevent healthcare systems from being overwhelmed.

The renewed surge in cases, mostly of the BA.4/5 Omicron variants, provides a further challenge for authorities grappling with the economic fallout of earlier waves of the pandemic while trying to avoid extending or reintroducing unpopular restrictions.

The New Zealand government on Thursday announced free masks and rapid antigen tests as it tries to relieve pressure on the country's health system, which is dealing with an influx of both Covid and influenza patients during the southern hemisphere winter.

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