The new Delta variant AY.4.2 is spreading across Europe and Asia, and here’s everything we know about it

As the novel coronavirus shows no signs of abating, a new wave of COVID-19 cases has been reported from several European and Asian countries, owing to the new strain of the Delta variant known as AY.4.2 or “Delta Plus.”

Despite the fact that the Delta strain remains dominant, the AY.4.2 delta sublineage is rapidly spreading. It contains the spike mutations A222V and Y145H, which may give the virus an advantage in survival. The UK Health Security Agency mentioned this in its most recent report.

As of now we know that AY.4.2 variant is:
– Potentially a marginally more infectious strain.
– There is no clear indication that it is considerably more transmissible than Delta variant
– Not a big threat like Alpha and Delta variants,

The AY.4.2 delta sub lineage accounted for approximately 6% of all sequences generated, with an increasing trend, according to the health agency’s report.

“Delta is still the most common variant… a Delta sublineage known as AY.4.2 has been identified as expanding in England. It is now a signal that monitoring and evaluation have begun “According to the report.

According to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesperson, the UK government is keeping a “very close eye” on rising cases of COVID-19 infections.

Meanwhile, according to a BBC report, tests are being carried out to determine how dangerous this new variant can be; however, experts believe that it is unlikely to take off in a big way like the Alpha and Delta variants, or that it could evade the current vaccines.

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) update, the United Kingdom (UK) has reported (283,756 new cases; a 14% increase) and Russia has reported (283,756 new cases; a 14% increase) (217,322 new cases; a 15 per cent increase). The European Region experienced a 7% increase in new weekly cases, as well as the highest weekly incidence of deaths (1.9 per 100 000 population).

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