London, Europe Brief News – Detected in France in September, a new subvariant of Omicron named “BQ.1.1” is continuing its inexorable progression.
The new variant is seemingly set to supplant the BA.5 variant of Omicron, which is currently in the majority.
BQ.1.1 derives from the sublineage BQ.1, which itself originated from BA.5. The new variant appears to have emerged in Nigeria in July.
It has since spread to Europe, including France, Belgium, Denmark and Italy, as well as to other countries, including Japan, the United States and Australia.
At the very beginning of October, the European countries with the highest proportion of samples infected with these new subvariants (BQ.1 and BQ.1.1) were France (19%), Belgium (9%), Switzerland (9%), the United Kingdom (8%), the Netherlands (6%) and Italy (5%). In the United States, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 represent 9.4% and 7.2% of Covid-19 cases, respectively. Taken together, these subvariants are second in prevalence to the BA.5 variant (62.2%).
The growth advantage of BQ.1.1 over the circulating variants is probably due to its strong immunity evasion.
Mutations in the viral envelope’s spike protein, which allows it to enter cells, means it can evade antibodies. However, to date, there is no evidence that BQ.1.1 is associated with an increase in more severe infections.
Two studies by Chinese and American teams, published on October 4 and October 20 on BioRxiv (not yet peer-reviewed), suggest that BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 have a greater resistance to neutralizing antibodies compared to BA.5. Peking University researchers report that BQ.1.1 defeats therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, including Evusheld, which is used in subjects at risk of developing a severe form of Covid-19.
