A new type of Covid affects the lungs

Experts warn that the variant Omicron BA.2 is more aggressive than the original strain. Guidance is to keep the vaccine up to date

Camila Lima from A Tribuna
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02/19/2022 13:32:58
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Accurate. reading

Unlike the original variant, the BA.2 variant of omicron is more aggressive and can affect the lungs, according to an unpublished study.

2 of the coronavirus has already been confirmed in the country, with infected patients in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina.

Experts say that in the original Omicron variant (BA.1), the preference was for the upper airways, such as the nose and mouth, rather than the lungs. This fact is cited as one of the reasons for the low lethality rate of the new species.

The study by Japanese researchers from the universities of Tokyo, Kumamoto, Hokkaido and Kyoto, which has not yet been reviewed, found that the new variant reached the lungs of mice “much more” than the original variant.

In the research, scientists noted that the reproductive capacity of BA.2 is 1.4 times greater than that of the original strain. They also concluded that the sub-material counteracts the immunity induced by the original omicron. That is, everyone infected with one of the strains can become infected with the other strain later.

Pulmonologist Jessica Polis believes the research is new information. “We have advanced a lot in technical detection ability, and this generates this kind of information, which, in practice, we still don’t know if it will have a significant impact. We will have this variant rolling where we have BA.1,” he highlights.

The physician notes that the BA.2 variant of omicron appears to be more contagious than BA.1. “We don’t know much about it. What we do know is that it can reach the lung, unlike the original omicron. Since it reaches the lung, we always think the intensity is greater, but this is not an absolute truth, because the sub-variable can reach the lung and not be inflammatory like the other variants.”

According to pulmonologist Ciléa Victória Martins, there are many cases of people with oomicrons who have had damage to the part of the lung. “Especially people who are not immunized and those who are immunosuppressed. We have a large number of affected children, which we did not have with previous breeds. We will have new mutations. So we have to vaccinate with all doses.”