What is the disease?Is the vaccine effective?Whether the virus is still mutated ... Wuwen Omik Rong BA.5

Cover news reporter Shao Meng

Omikon BA.5 Asian branch is becoming the main popular strain worldwide, and has triggered a gathering epidemic in my country. Since July 5, BA.5 has been detected in Xi'an, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and other places. What is the transmission and pathogenicity of this new strain? Is the existing vaccine effective for it? Will the virus continue to mutate? On July 14, Dong Xiaoping, chief expert of the China Centers for Disease Control and Control Center, answered the above questions in an interview with the cover news.

Dong Xiaoping, chief expert of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Picture source: China Net

He also reminded that the public must not despise the public about Omikon BA.4 and BA.5, but don't worry too much. The existing vaccination is still effective for severe death and explicit infection. .5 still applicable.

No obvious changes in pathogenicity

It is still a big threat to the elderly and basic patients

One question: What is the transmission and pathogenicity of the new crown mutant plant BA.4 and BA.5?

Dong Xiaoping: The dissemination capacity of Omikon mutant BA.4/5 has increased significantly, which is based on the following points. The first is that the latent period is short, which can cause the infected person to appear positive or disease in a short period of time. Secondly, from some research data in Japan and some specific regions in South Africa, in the absence of interference or few public health measures intervention, its R0 value (Note: Basic infection, referring to the average person per digit per bit Infected people are very high in the number of susceptible individuals during the infection period). Third, BA.4 is currently in South Africa, BA.5 has replaced other Omikon mutation branches in Britain, Denmark, Portugal, and the United States, becoming an advantageous strain. Taken together, its communication ability is relatively high among the main branches of Omikon. After BA.5 became an advantageous strain, a small peak of a positive infection was formed in these countries.

In terms of pathogenic ability, from the current data, BA.4 and BA.5 have not significantly increased or weakened from other Omikon mutant strains. From the perspective of existing data, it is basically the same as the other Omikon mutation.

However, it is important to emphasize, do not expect BA.5 to be infected after large -scale infections, or after infection with the elderly with basic diseases, it will be as gentle as you see now. After large -scale infections, especially after the elderly, even a very mild disease will be fatal for them. So you can't over -emphasize how powerful it is, but don't treat it too much.

On June 21, volunteers collected nucleic acid samples for residents in Taipingqiao Street, Fengtai District, Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Xin

The existing vaccine is still effective for BA.5

The ninth edition of the prevention and control plan is still applicable

Second question: Is the existing vaccine effective?

Dong Xiaoping: At present, there is no complete data, especially domestic vaccines, because the number of cases in our country is small. Internationally, there are only some limited data and reports. Overall, mutation will have a certain impact on the effect of vaccine. This impact is mainly seen through the in vitro neutrality and experiments. In other words, the serum after the vaccine is used to do neutralized experiments with the virus of BA.4 and the virus of BA.5 to see the inhibitory effect on it. It was found that the inhibitory effect was indeed reduced, but the effect of the entire vaccine protection effect seemed Also to be observed.

The effect of vaccine protection is mainly divided into three levels. First, the protection effect of death and critical condition. Second, infection for hospitalization or sexual sex. Third, infection or dissemination ability. A large number of research data shows that traditional vaccines, including inactivating vaccines, adenovirus vectors, and MRNA vaccines, which have good prevention, severe disease, prevention, prevention of severe disease, prevention Resident effect. BA.4 and BA.5 still belong to Omircong strains, so I think vaccination is still effective for preventing severe death and explicit infection.

Three questions: Is the ninth version of the prevention and control scheme still applicable?

Dong Xiaoping: Virus variation is too common. Only when mutation is very powerful can it affect public health measures. The existing public health measures and international prevention and control programs have not changed significantly. The regulations in the ninth edition of the prevention and control plan are effective for BA.4/5. This is based on the following two points. The first is that the ninth edition of the prevention and control scheme mentioned a higher level of virus monitoring. The prevention and control of the original viral diseases starts from the patient, and the front edge of the prevention and control of the new crown has moved to the normal population, which more reflects the layered and classified nucleic acid detection and screening scheme. For example, setting a specific nucleic acid detection frequency for risk -risk careers, once an epidemic occurs, you can quickly adjust the adaptation to the prevention and control situation in a timely manner.

In addition, the ninth version of the prevention and control scheme organically integrates pharmacies' information. For example, at a certain stage or no epidemic occurred at a certain stage of the epidemic, a large number of antipyretic medicines in the pharmacy must take action. The ninth version of the prevention and control scheme also integrates a variety of technologies into the screening of the pathogen, such as antigen detection, which truly reflects "multi -point triggers" in monitoring.

The second is that the isolation period of the tights and the entry personnel has changed from "14+7" to "7+3". We not only refer to the situation of many countries, but also from the observation of large -scale clustering epidemic in Shanghai and Jilin. This adjustment it can apply to BA.1 and BA.2. I think it is also applicable to BA.4 and BA.5. Although there are mutations, although the communication ability may increase, it is not enough to affect that we must re -adjust public health measures and prevent and control programs. On July 13, at a vaccination point in Chaoyang District, Beijing, the staff registered information for citizens who enhanced the needle. Xinhua News Agency reporter Ju Huanzong Photo

Don't despise

Don't worry too much

Fourth question: Will the new coronal virus be mutated?

Dong Xiaoping: Virus is common. The new crown virus is indeed a very smart virus. What will it look like in the future. There is no way to make a brief inferring, but as a smart virus, the purpose of infection is to expand the population, so this is this, so this is this, so this is this. The virus is likely to develop in the direction of enhanced communication capabilities but weakening the pathogenic ability, but mutations are random. It is difficult for us to rule out a possibility. This virus occasionally occasionally occurs in some mutations, which leads to enhancement of pathogenic ability. The communication ability has not changed much, so it is difficult to make a prediction now. But one thing is yes, it will continue to change.

Question: What should ordinary people look at virus mutations?

Dong Xiaoping: Don't despise or overly worry. When all mutations just appear or form an advantage to spread somewhere, it will be strong, but it will weaken after a while. This is the natural nature of the virus. If you despise it too much, regardless of whether the infection is expanded to the elderly and the people with basic diseases, it will also cause terrible consequences.

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