The first case of Omicron Centaurus (BA.2.75), the variant of Covid from India, has been sequenced in Sardinia.

The virus was sequenced in the laboratories of the Aou of Cagliari on a woman of about 40 who on 10 August tested positive for the molecular test. The patient is well and is in home isolation .

The case was identified thanks to the active control program on patients and employees in the Aou of Cagliari. Currently the dominant variant in Italy is still Omicron 5, but the first cases of Centaurus are popping up, which could replace the previous one because it is considered more contagious .

According to the WHO, Centaurus is not only more contagious, but also more "bad" than the other Omicrons: "Preliminary laboratory studies indicate a growth advantage, greater fusogenicity, more efficient replication in lung cells and greater pathogenicity in an animal model hamster ".

To confirm these preliminary results, however, the WHO itself specified, "further studies are needed".

(Unioneonline / L)

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