New Coronavirus Mutant Raises Concerns

People shop in a crowded market amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Kolkata, India, January 6, 2022. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri
People shop in a crowded market amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Kolkata, India, January 6, 2022. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri
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New Coronavirus Mutant Raises Concerns

People shop in a crowded market amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Kolkata, India, January 6, 2022. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri
People shop in a crowded market amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Kolkata, India, January 6, 2022. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri

The quickly changing coronavirus has spawned yet another super contagious omicron mutant that’s worrying scientists as it gains ground in India and pops up in numerous other countries, including the United States.

Scientists say the variant – called BA.2.75 – may be able to spread rapidly and get around immunity from vaccines and previous infection. It’s unclear whether it could cause more serious disease than other omicron variants, including the globally prominent BA.5, The Associated Press reported.

“It’s still really early on for us to draw too many conclusions,” said Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “But it does look like, especially in India, the rates of transmission are showing kind of that exponential increase." Whether it will outcompete BA.5, he said, is yet to be determined.

Still, the fact that it has already been detected in many parts of the world even with lower levels of viral surveillance “is an early indication it is spreading,” said Shishi Luo, head of infectious diseases for Helix, a company that supplies viral sequencing information to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The latest mutant has been spotted in several distant states in India, and appears to be spreading faster than other variants there, said Lipi Thukral, a scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi. It’s also been detected in about 10 other countries, including Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada. Two cases were recently identified on the West Coast of the US, and Helix identified a third US case last week.

Fueling experts’ concerns are a large number of mutations separating this new variant from omicron predecessors.

Some of those mutations are in areas that relate to the spike protein and could allow the virus to bind onto cells more efficiently, Binnicker said.

Another concern is that the genetic tweaks may make it easier for the virus to skirt past antibodies — protective proteins made by the body in response to a vaccine or infection from an earlier variant.

But experts say vaccines and boosters are still the best defense against severe COVID-19. In the fall it’s likely the US will see updated formulations of the vaccine being developed that target more recent omicron strains.

“Some may say, ‘Well, vaccination and boosting hasn’t prevented people from getting infected.’ And, yes, that is true,” he said. “But what we have seen is that the rates of people ending up in the hospital and dying have significantly decreased. As more people have been vaccinated, boosted or naturally infected, we are starting to see the background levels of immunity worldwide creep up.”

It may take several weeks to get a sense of whether the latest omicron mutant may affect the trajectory of the pandemic. Meanwhile Dr. Gagandeep Kang, who studies viruses at India’s Christian Medical College in Vellore, said the growing concern over the variant underlines the need for more sustained efforts to track and trace viruses that combine genetic efforts with real world information about who is getting sick and how badly. “It is important that surveillance isn’t a start-stop strategy,” she said.

Luo said BA.2.75 is another reminder that the coronavirus is continually evolving – and spreading.

“We would like to return to pre-pandemic life, but we still need to be careful,” she said. “We need to accept that we’re now living with a higher level of risk than we used to.”



EU Hits Russia with Sweeping New Sanctions over Ukraine War

Workers clear debris and rubble from the street following a major overnight Russian attack in Kyiv on July 10, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by OLEKSII FILIPPOV / AFP)
Workers clear debris and rubble from the street following a major overnight Russian attack in Kyiv on July 10, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by OLEKSII FILIPPOV / AFP)
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EU Hits Russia with Sweeping New Sanctions over Ukraine War

Workers clear debris and rubble from the street following a major overnight Russian attack in Kyiv on July 10, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by OLEKSII FILIPPOV / AFP)
Workers clear debris and rubble from the street following a major overnight Russian attack in Kyiv on July 10, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by OLEKSII FILIPPOV / AFP)

The EU on Friday adopted a sweeping new package of sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, looking to pile more pressure on the Kremlin by lowering a price cap for Moscow's oil exports.

The 18th round of economic measures from Europe against Russia since its 2022 invasion comes as allies hope US President Donald Trump follows through on his threat to punish Moscow for stalling peace efforts.

"The EU just approved one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date," AFP quoted EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas as saying.

"The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the sanctions' adoption as "essential and timely".

The new measures were approved after Slovakia dropped a weeks-long block following talks with Brussels over separate plans to phase out Russian gas imports.

Kremlin-friendly Slovakian leader Robert Fico -- whose country remains dependent on Russian energy -- dropped his opposition after getting what he called "guarantees" from Brussels over future gas prices.

France's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot called the latest moves "unprecedented" and said that together with the United States we will force (Russian President) Vladimir Putin into a ceasefire".

As part of the new sanctions designed to sap Russia's war chest, diplomats said the EU has agreed to lower its price cap on Russian oil exported to third countries around the world, to 15 percent below market value.

That comes despite EU allies failing to convince US President Donald Trump to go along with the plan.

The cap is a G7 initiative aimed at limiting the amount of money Russia makes by exporting oil to countries across the globe such as China and India.

Set at $60 by the G7 in 2022, it is designed to limit the price Moscow can sell oil around the world by banning shipping firms and insurance companies dealing with Russia to export above that amount.

The EU has largely already cut off its imports of Russian oil.

Under the new EU scheme -- which is expected to get the backing of G7 allies like Britain and Canada -- the new level will start off at $47.6 and can be adjusted as oil prices change in the future.

EU officials admit that the scheme will not be as effective without US involvement.

In addition, officials said the EU is blacklisting over 100 more vessels in the "shadow fleet" of ageing tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil export curbs.

There are also measures to stop the defunct Baltic Sea gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 from being brought back online.

Among other targets, sanctions will be placed on a Russian-owned oil refinery in India and two Chinese banks as the EU seeks to curb Moscow's ties with international partners.

There is also an expanded transaction ban on dealings with Russian banks and more restrictions on the export of "dual-use" goods that could be used on the battlefield in Ukraine.

The latest round of EU measures comes after Trump on Monday threatened to hit buyers of Russian energy with massive "secondary tariffs" if Russia doesn't halt the fighting in 50 days.

The move from Trump represented a dramatic pivot from his previous effort of rapprochement with the Kremlin, as he said his patience was running out with Putin.

The multiple rounds of international sanctions imposed on Moscow in the three-and-a-half years since its invasion have failed so far to cripple the Russian economy or slow its war effort.

But Western officials argue that despite Russia's economy largely weathering the punishment to this point, key economic indicators such as interest rates and inflation are getting worse.