A new version of the omicron variant has scientists on alert

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A new version of the omicron variant¹ has scientists on alert

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Another version of omicron is spreading in Asia and parts of Europe. And it shows signs that it could be slightly more contagious³ than omicron. Where did this new variant come from?

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Just as the omicron surge starts to recede⁴ in parts of this country, scientists are watching another version of omicron. It's spreading in Asia and parts of Europe. This week, it was even detected in several U.S. states, including California, Washington and Texas. So we've brought in NPR global health correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff. Michaeleen, good morning.

MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF, BYLINE⁵: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: This sounds a bit dismaying. What's going on?

DOUCLEFF: Yeah, you know, you're not the only one to feel this way. Many scientists I speak to are like, you know, when is this going to stop or at least slow down?

INSKEEP: Yeah.

DOUCLEFF: But I'm here with some good news. And that's while this new version of the virus does have scientists on alert, it isn't a new variant of concern. It's actually a different version of omicron, kind of like a sibling⁶. I was talking to Emma Hodcroft about this. She's an epidemiologist at the University of Bern and one of the key scientists tracking variants⁷ around the world. She says when researchers first discovered omicron, they also found the second version right around the same time.

EMMA HODCROFT: They share a lot of mutations. So they're, like, obviously related, but they're also different - very sibling-like, in my opinion, like, exactly how you feel about siblings⁸, right? Definitely related but also different.

DOUCLEFF: At first, scientists kind of thought the second version was weaker, kind of like a little sister that couldn't keep up with the first version, which was spreading really fast all over the world. So they thought this little sister was just going to die or peter out.

INSKEEP: I have a lot of experience with little sisters. They don't peter out. They get bigger, which seems to have happened here. So how did that happen?

DOUCLEFF: Yeah. So over the past several weeks, this new omicron did something really surprising in Denmark, and it could possibly happen in the U.K. and Germany. What happened is that as cases of the original omicron started to decline and the surge started to slow down in Denmark, this new version, this little sister, started spreading really rapidly and took over and now is making Denmark's current surge last longer.

INSKEEP: OK. Is that going to happen here, then?

DOUCLEFF: Yeah, you know, we don't know yet, but that is obviously the concern. You know, evidence suggests this second omicron, this little sister, is just as contagious as the first one and possibly a bit more. So it will spread here, though it's rare right now.

INSKEEP: Is this version of omicron less deadly than others in the same way that the version of omicron we've been familiar with has been less deadly than others?

DOUCLEFF: Yeah. So so far, data from Denmark suggests that that's the case. You know, this new version doesn't appear to be more dangerous than the first omicron, which is great news. The disease it causes and the severity of that disease look very similar to what we see right now with this original version. And furthermore - and this is really important - the two versions of omicron share a bunch of mutations, and because of that, doctors and scientists expect that the vaccine⁹ and the booster shots are going to work about the same with this little sister. I was talking to Dr. Peter Chin-Hong about this. He's an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. He says for healthy people, if you're boosted, you're going to be well protected from severe disease. And that's also likely true if you were infected recently with the original omicron.

PETER CHIN-HONG: I have no guarantee that you wouldn't get reinfected, meaning that you might have a sniffles or might feel like you got another cold. But I feel very, very confident that you would be protected from serious disease in the general population.

DOUCLEFF: And, you know, Steve, that is really the key thing going forward with this pandemic, you know, is keeping people from getting sick enough that they end up in the hospital or even dying. Chin says going forward, this is what we really need to focus on.

INSKEEP: NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff, thanks so much.

DOUCLEFF: Thank you, Steve.

1 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

4 recede   

vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进

参考例句：

• The colleges would recede in importance.大学的重要性会降低。
• He saw that the dirty water had begun to recede.他发现那污浊的水开始往下退了。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 sibling   

n.同胞手足(指兄、弟、姐或妹)

参考例句：

• Many of us hate living in the shadows of a more successful sibling.我们很多人都讨厌活在更为成功的手足的阴影下。
• Sibling ravalry has been common in this family.这个家里，兄弟姊妹之间的矛盾很平常。

7 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句

8 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

9 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。