Covid – 8th wave: what is this new variant often confused with gastroenteritis? – The Independent

New variants, the approaching gastroenteritis season, the return of cold weather and therefore indoor social interactions that promote the spread of viruses: part of the scientific community predicts a harsh winter in terms of health. And recently, the forecasts have taken a slightly more alarmist turn. While the XBB variant worries scientists, another one is attracting more particular attention. His name: BQ.1.1. He is the result of BA’s mutation. 5, itself a cousin of the Omicron variant. Read also: Covid: prevention measures less and less respected, public health alert France Symptoms similar to those of gastroenteritis Doctors closely monitor this variant, the symptoms of which raise fears of confusion with those of gastroenteritis. Contagion by BQ.1.1 would indeed cause diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach aches and other digestive disorders, as we enter the gastrointestinal season. One piece of data worries experts more: its strong “immune escape” that is to say its ability to escape the antibodies produced by our body. A characteristic of BQ.1.1 which makes Édouard Tuallion, professor of virology at the Montpellier University Hospital, say that this new variant has “all the cards in hand to become the next majority variant”. “It could represent the majority of cases in the coming weeks”, warns the professor in the columns of Midi Libre. BQ1.1 is gaining momentum, it could replace BA5 within a few weeks because it has a greater ability to evade our immunity. How serious will it be? We don’t know but let’s be careful, let’s limit the transmission of the virus.
Vaccine, mask, ventilation, isolation if woozy.— Rémi Salomon (@RemiSalomon) October 12, 2022