CDC tracks a potentially dangerous coronavirus variant
CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Just when we start to think the pandemic may be ending, the CDC is tracking another new potentially dangerous coronavirus variant called Orthrus CH.1.1.
It got its name from a variant tracker in Australia. Orthrus in Greek mythology was a two-headed cattle dog.
It looks very unique. So, does this new CH 1.1 variant.
As of this week, it's at just under two percent of cases in the United States.
While it comes from Omicron, the concern is that it has a mutation seen in Delta and that was a potentially deadly and dangerous strain.
"Delta seemed to be a little bit more severe, so it caused more people to be admitted to be admitted to the hospital, more people in intensive care," said infectious disease specialist, Dr. Stephen Blatt.
Technically, we really aren't at the end of the emergency phase of this pandemic.
"The Covid Emergency will end when the Supreme Court ends it. We've extended it to May the 15th to make sure we get everything done. That's all," said President Joe Biden.
Dr. Blatt says we need to consider the timing of CH 1.1.
"The problem is it's really hard to compare a virus that comes out now when we have a lot of immunity in the population, versus a virus that was here you know back at the end of 2020 or 2021 before we have vaccines."
The good news is that the new bivalent booster should have at least some protection against this new variant because it's a descendant of Omicron.
Variant trackers do point out however, this has been rising globally since November and any new variant has the potential to evade vaccine or natural immunity and be highly transmissible.
