What We Know About The Wildcard 'Centaurus' Covid Variant So Far

News of another fast-spreading Covid variant is worrying virologists around the world. The strain, the BA.2.75 variant – nicknamed “Centaurus”, is not new and was first spotted in India in May.

But now it continues to spread and has already reached the UK and scientists are worried about its transmissibility as it surpasses the highly infectious BA.5 variant.

The ‘Centaurus’ strain may also replace the previously dominant BA.2 strain in many countries. Since spreading in India, Centaurus has reached the UK, US, Australia, Germany and Canada.

While its scientific name is BA.2.75, it got the nickname of ‘Centaurus’ after someone allegedly chose the moniker for the strain on a whim. 

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has designated BA.2/75 a “variant under monitoring”, meaning they are watching out for its symptoms and whether it could be linked to severe disease, but so far the evidence for this is weak.

Scientists reckon this newer strain evolved from the BA.2 and were alerted to the sheer number of extra mutations that Centaurus contains. 

 “This could mean that it has had the chance to evolve an advantage over an already successful virus lineage,” Dr Stephen Griffin, a virologist at the University of Leeds, told the Guardian.

Dr Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College London, and the first to identify Omicron as a concern in November 2021, said the extra mutations give the virus a “wildcard” effect in which consequences are yet to be seen.

“It is definitely a potential candidate for what comes after BA.5. Failing that, it’s probably the sort of thing we’ll have come along next, ie a ‘variant of a variant’,” he said.

Covid cases in the UK are steeply on the rise, and experts are concerned for those who are not vaccinated against the virus. MPs are also calling on the 3m people in Britain who are currently not jabbed against coronavirus to do so.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is monitoring the new variant closely, but its chief scientist, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, says we don’t have enough data to suggest its severity. 

Given its adaptations and increasing transmissibility in newer variants, we can’t treat it like the flu, said Dr Griffin.

He told the Guardian: “This time last year, many were convinced that Delta represented an evolutionary pinnacle for the virus, but the emergence of Omicron and the vast increase in variability and antibody evasiveness is a sign that we cannot as a population follow an influenza-like plan to keep pace with viral evolution.”

Having your vaccinations and wearing your mask where you can will certainly help.