A new coronavirus sub-variant, called the “son of Omicron”, may result in more serious illness than the original strain, research shows.
The Japanese study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, found the risk posed by the sub-variant - BA.2 - was “potentially higher” than that of Omicron, otherwise known as BA.1.
The authors reported that cell culture experiments show BA.2 is more “replicative in human nasal epithelial cells and more fusogenic” than BA.1.
Studies in hamsters suggest it is more pathogenic, meaning it causes worse disease.
Establishing a method to detect BA.2 specifically would be the first thing many countries need to do
Kei Sato,
University of Tokyo
“Neutralisation experiments show that the vaccine-induced humoral immunity fails to function against BA.2 like BA.1, and notably, the antigenicity of BA.2 is different from BA.1,” wrote the researchers, who are from several Japanese institutions, including the University of Tokyo.
“Cell culture experiments show that BA.2 is more replicative in human nasal epithelial cells and more fusogenic than BA.1.
“Furthermore, infection experiments using hamsters show that BA.2 is more pathogenic than BA.1.
"Our multi-scale investigations suggest that the risk of BA.2 for global health is potentially higher than that of BA.1.”
Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said the research suggests BA.2 grows more rapidly in nasal cells than BA.1, which may explain increased transmission, as infected people could shed more virus particles.
And the study appears to show that BA.2 could be "intrinsically more virulent", he said.
That means it is "more likely to cause severe disease than BA.1, and similar to ancestral variant B1.1, so maybe not as intrinsically virulent as the Delta variant".
"But that doesn’t mean it will necessarily end up causing particularly severe disease in humans," he said.
"The severity of any infection is a balance between the virulence of the virus and our prior immunity.
"So, in people who are triple vaccinated or have been vaccinated and had Covid, especially more than once, may still expect to have less severe disease than we saw in the Delta or prior waves."
The sub-variant is taking over from Omicron in many areas and is already dominant in nations as far apart as India, South Africa and Denmark.
Rise of 'stealth' Omicron
Although technically of the same lineage, BA.1 and BA.2 are 20 mutations apart.
Some believe the sub-variant should have its own Greek letter - in line with the classification of Covid-19 variants - due to the large number of differences it has from the original Omicron.
Kei Sato, a researcher at the University of Tokyo who conducted the study, told CNN the findings from their study prove that BA.2 should not be considered a sub-variant.
"As you may know, BA.2 is called 'stealth Omicron,’" he said.
“That's because it doesn't show up on PCR tests as an S-gene target failure the way Omicron does.
"Labs therefore have to take an extra step and sequence the virus to find this variant.
"Establishing a method to detect BA.2 specifically would be the first thing many countries need to do.”
Research shows the new sub-variant is about 30 to 50 per cent more contagious than the original Omicron strain.
But evidence from the real world is mixed on its severity.
A report from the UK Health Security Agency said that “a preliminary assessment” did not find that vaccines were less effective at preventing BA.2 from causing symptomatic disease, compared to BA.1. Hospital admissions in the UK are on the decline.
Another study in South Africa also recently found the new sub-variant did not make people sicker than the original.
However, researchers did caution the findings may not be replicated elsewhere as most immunity in South Africa is the result of natural infections, compared to Europe, where it comes from vaccination.
Natural immunity could hypothetically provide better protection against it, they said.
In Denmark, where BA.2 is overwhelmingly dominant, hospital admissions and deaths are rising.
"Looking at the recent data from Denmark, it is not obvious that case fatality rates there are rising because of the increasing dominance of BA.2 but it is still a bit early days to be sure," said Dr Hunter.
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead for Covid-19, said while most sequences are still the original Omicron, BA.2 is increasing.
The sub-variant now accounts for about one in every five new Covid-19 cases.
She said there was no evidence that the sub-variant is more lethal than Omicron, but they were monitoring its development.
The original Omicron strain should not be considered a mild infection, she added.
“We are still seeing significant numbers of hospitalisations of Omicron. We are seeing significant numbers of deaths. It is not the common cold; it is not influenza," she said.
“We just have to be really careful right now.”
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
MATCH INFO
English Premiership semi-finals
Saracens 57
Wasps 33
Exeter Chiefs 36
Newcastle Falcons 5
In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERobert%20Lorenz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Liam%20Neeson%2C%20Kerry%20Condon%2C%20Jack%20Gleeson%2C%20Ciaran%20Hinds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
The specs: 2018 Ford F-150
Price, base / as tested: Dh173,250 / Dh178,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 395hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 555Nm @ 2,750rpm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 12.4L / 100km
Barcelona 3
Messi (27’, 32’, 87’)
Leganes 1
El Zhar (68’)
Racecard
6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m
8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
UAE FIXTURES
October 18 – 7.30pm, UAE v Oman, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 19 – 7.30pm, UAE v Ireland, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 21 – 2.10pm, UAE v Hong Kong, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 22 – 2.10pm, UAE v Jersey, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 24 – 10am, UAE v Nigeria, Abu Dhabi Cricket Oval 1
October 27 – 7.30pm, UAE v Canada, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 29 – 2.10pm, Playoff 1 – A2 v B3; 7.30pm, Playoff 2 – A3 v B2, at Dubai International Stadium.
October 30 – 2.10pm, Playoff 3 – A4 v Loser of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Playoff 4 – B4 v Loser of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 1 – 2.10pm, Semifinal 1 – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Semifinal 2 – A1 v Winner of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 2 – 2.10pm, Third place Playoff – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Final, at Dubai International Stadium
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
