What to Know About the New Covid Variants

HV.1 is descended from EG.5 and is highly similar to it. There isn’t data yet on how well the new vaccines perform against HV.1, but Dr. Dan Barouch, the head of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said he doesn’t anticipate it will be substantially different from their efficacy against EG.5.

Given the variants’ similarity, it’s unclear exactly how HV.1 has overtaken EG.5, but one of the few additional mutations in HV.1 has likely given it an edge over its predecessor. “Whenever a new variant dominates, then by definition it has an advantage,” Dr. Barouch said. “And the advantage is either increased transmissibility or increased immune escape.” Read Full Article