If we leafed through a photo album, obviously talking about images invisible to the naked eye, perhaps we would look with a pinch of nostalgia at the first Sars-CoV-2 virus isolated in Wuhan, China. In the meantime, there have been many the viral variants which have occurred over time, in a path characterized by a substantial increase in the virus’s ability to spread but also by a change in the clinical manifestations connected to it.
Just think of ageusia and anosmia, or loss of taste and smell: at the beginning of the pandemic they were practically classic signs of the infection, today they are very rare. In short: today viruses appear different, but this does not mean that we must let our guard down and that we must give up the vaccination course, with boosters recommended by the doctor on a case-by-case basis. Above all, it is necessary to understand how the subvariants that appear will have an impact in the future. And so, while remembering that what is happening is extremely complex and that knowledge is destined to increase, let’s try to take stock of the situation.
Cerberus and Gryphon replace Omicron?
What is certain is that the symptoms, more and more frequently, with the spread of variant Cerberus from Gryphon, tend to change becoming more and more similar, on the clinical front, to what happens with the flu. Precisely for this reason, especially in this period of great diffusion of influenza viruses, there is the risk of getting confused when they present themselves symptoms and signs such as frequent sneezing, stuffy nose, cough and sore throat. The most important fact that is observed in the event of infection with new variants is that the most serious problems with the lungs are gradually becoming less and less, in the form of interstitial pneumonia, which characterized the early days of the pandemic.
For the rest. at the moment Omicron 5 still manages to maintain the primacy in the number of infections, but the other variants are “expanding” in epidemiological terms. And above all they confirm their “differences, so much so that the Istituto Superiore di Sanità indicates how important it is to monitor their evolution and diffusion, given that they can be transmitted easily and above all have characteristics in terms of mutations that can influence the possible defensive response of the organism. This applies in particular to Gryphon, at the moment still infrequent among us (but still present) which according to the World Health Organization would be the variant most likely to evade the responses of the immune system.
What characterizes Cerberus and Gryphon
The scientific definition dthe Cerberus and Bq.1. The strain travels in the Old Continent and has a possible subvariant, defined as Bq.1.1. Among its characteristics is the ability to easily evade the immune system and therefore the body’s defensive reactions. However, it is not known if and how this strain can give more serious clinical pictures.
The variant Gryphon. It is carefully monitored by the health authorities but not much is known about it yet: according to some evidence collected in the laboratory, it seems that it has characteristics that make it much less able to stimulate an immune response in those who have been vaccinated or have contracted Covid, with a greater risk of re-infection in those who have already had the disease than seen with other subvariants of Omicron. In any case, Omicron is still dominant and only by observing what will happen will we be able to have information for the future.
What Centaurus taught us
Wrapping your head, in any case, is probably useless. What you have to do is follow the indications of the health institutions, try to limit the risk of infection, protect yourself with protective measures when you are with many people and proceed with vaccinations and boosters in particular for people at high risk by age or for fragility from pathologies and those who live in contact with them. Sometimes, even if the mythological names seem to worry us, the evolution of the viral variants proves to be less fearsome than assumed.
Just think of Centaurus. Or subvariant BA.2.75. Together with two other sub-variants characterized by nearby numbers (a bit like the addresses of buildings, it is called BA.2.74 and BA.2.76) it would seem capable of having a very strong diffusion, with a potential surge in the number of infections. In particular, in the continuous process of “re-updating” of viruses which is part of their natural development over time, it is striking that it presents nine mutations compared to the progenitor Omicron 2, located on the Spike protein.
What should we expect?
In short: as happened for Centaurus, even for these new variants it is still necessary to collect data that will help to understand what could happen. Studying them is the task of science and applying knowledge for the prevention and optimal treatment of those who fall ill is the task of doctors. Let’s make the lesson of Omicron 5 our own, which has allowed us to understand how the virus can become more transmissible and therefore potentially more contagious, with a greater ease of “taking root” in the human body and spreading from one person to another.
But from our point of view, let’s remember that prevention strategies however, they remain the most effective weapon we have to limit the risks. And let’s not forget that in the most serious cases or in subjects at risk, drugs, used with the utmost appropriateness and as soon as possible (whether they are specific antivirals or monoclonal antibody cocktails that have also proved useful against Omicron) can allow us to tackle effective way against infection.