COVID-19 Update: September 21, 2022
- Ginger Cameron, PhD
- Sep 21, 2022
- 2 min read
Quick update on the booster and emerging variants.
Remember me? It's been a while but there was not much new to report. Despite what you may or may not have heard, the pandemic is not over. However, we of course know so much more and are doing better and better with living with COVID. I do want to share just a couple of things.
The Omicron boosters are on the way and will be available at a pharmacy near you, if they aren't already. Currently the idea is that the boosters will be available to everyone 12 and up (depending on the vaccine). The vaccine however does not have any human trial data available at this time. The original vaccines were repurposed to more specifically target the Omicron variant then expedited through the approval process so testing has been completed on mice but not humans. This is not unprecedented - we do this sometimes with the flu vaccine as they make adjustments for new variants - but I did want to mention it. You can read more about the new booster vaccines here.
A new variant is emerging and will most likely become the dominant variant this fall - it has been dubbed Centaurus or BA.2.75. It is a subvariant of Omicron but it spreads even more quickly - as least that is what we have seen in India and the UK. Early indicators are that it is both more transmissible and produces more severe illness although there is not quite enough data to really know for sure yet. The prevailing school of thought is that the new vaccines will protect against it, but that too has not yet been tested or proven so for now it is just an educated guess.
This has absolutely nothing to do with COVID, but a research study just came out of Australia in which they think they may have found the root cause of SIDS. This is huge news so I wanted to share it. Essentially it comes down to an enzyme that these babies may not have enough of, Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). This is something that can be tested for at birth - which is very very good news. You can read the full study at the link above.
FINAL THOUGHTS: In case no one has told you lately - you are amazing!
I am flabbergasted that they may have found the cause of SIDS! I was going to comment with my own COVID updates, but that is huge news! We had a case of baby dying at a church close by, they have a yearly fundraising concert that goes to research about the disease. This is fantastic news!