The Centaur mutation, which is known to have stronger propagation power and immune avoidance characteristics than the existing mutations BA.4 or BA.5, has been confirmed in 16 countries, including the United States, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, and Canada.
The quarantine authorities believe that the spread of the Kentaurus mutation to the domestic community has already begun, considering that the first confirmed patient has never been abroad during the period of infection.
The centaur mutation is a detailed variant derived from the original omicron (BA.1) and a kind of brotherly relationship, stealth omicron (BA.2).
The centaur mutation was first discovered in India on May 26, and has since spread to more than 16 countries around the world.
The first confirmed case was also confirmed in Korea on the 14th. The confirmed patient is in his 60s living in Incheon, and he showed symptoms on the 8th and was confirmed to be COVID-19 on the 11th. The confirmed patient is presumed to be infected in the local community because he has no overseas travel history during the period when he can be infected.
He is currently being treated at home for mild symptoms, and so far, no additional confirmed cases have been confirmed among one cohabitant and three community contacts.
Although it is not an official name, most reports related to BA.2.75 refer to the new mutation as "Centaurus."
BA.2.75 has the characteristics of both BA.5 and BA.2, so it was named BA.2.75, which is compared to a centaur in Greek mythology, where people and horses are mixed in half.
The naming person of Centaur is known to be an SNS Twitter user, not a quarantine and health expert.
The World Health Organization (WHO), which has given Greek letters such as "Delta" and "Omicron" to COVID-19 mutations, has not yet set an official nickname for BA.2.75.
The centaur mutation has 36 mutations in the area of the protuberance protein (spike protein) that helps the virus penetrate the cell.
This is the largest number of mutations ever discovered.
Stealth Omicron, which is known to have nearly 50% stronger propagation power than the original Omicron, also has only 28 spike gene mutations.
If there are many spike protein mutations, it is easier for the virus to invade into the cell avoiding antibodies formed by vaccination or natural infection.
In other words, there is a high risk of breakthrough infection or reinfection.
The propagation power is much stronger than before.
According to a study by Arkansas State University in the U.S., the spread of the centaur mutation in India has been 3.24 times faster than that of the omicron mutation in the past three months.
The infection reproduction index was more than five times higher than that of the COVID-19 virus before the mutation occurred.
The WHO classified it as a "detailed system of concerns" even though major characteristics such as the fatality rate of the Kentaurus mutation were not clearly identified, which means that it is likely to affect public health due to its strong propagation power or high fatality rate.
At a briefing at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 15th, Sohn Young-rae, head of the Central Disaster Management Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "We will monitor changes in domestic market share, fatalities, and severe conversion rates in foreign countries."
He explained that this is because the COVID-19 mutated virus usually tends to have a lower critical or fatal rate as the transmission power increases.
He also explained, "In order to block the inflow of feces, a strong blocking factor for overseas entry should be introduced, but compared to restrictions on movement or disruptions to economic conditions, socioeconomic damage caused by actual blocking or inflow is not so great."
However, Son said that if the fatality rate or severity rate of the Kentaurus mutation is higher than that of the existing omicron mutation, the entry quarantine can also be strengthened.
Writer: Yeyoung Jeon (Lina)
(Picture from Unsplash)
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