Orthrus Variant More Dangerous than Other COVID-19 Variants
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VIVA – Another COVID-19 sub-variant, CH.1.1, or Orthrus, has been found in several countries around the world, including Indonesia. In fact, the Indonesian Ministry of Health has announced as many as 14 cases of this Orthrus sub-variant.
In the United States, the Orthrus sub-variant is estimated to account for up to 1.5 percent of all COVID-19 cases. The Omicron sub-variant was named after the mythical two-headed cattle dog killed by Hercules, by Australian variant tracker Mike Honey. Allegedly, the name was coined based on its dangerous nature.
Not people know about this relatively new strain, although its percentage has been increasing globally since November 2022. Like other COVID-19 variants, Orthrus also has the potential to be more contagious, evade immunity from vaccines and infections, and cause more severe disease.
Ilustrasi COVID-19/virus corona.
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Furthermore, this variant displays alarming mutations as seen in the deadly Delta variant. Though this trait is generally not seen in other Omicron sub-variants which makes it even more terrifying.
While CH.1.1 is not a Deltacron (a recombinant, or combination, of Delta and Omicron), it is a prime example of convergent evolution, a process where COVID-19 variants evolve independently but share the same mutations.
"I don't think we have a real understanding of what variants to pay attention to and which not to," said the director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Dr. Michael Osterholm.
Here are the facts about Orthrus that are considered a deadly variant.
1. Emerged in Southeast Asia
CH.1.1 emerged in Southeast Asia this fall and is now responsible for more than a quarter of infections in parts of the United Kingdom and New Zealand, according to a preprint paper released last week by researchers at Ohio State University.
Its prevalence has risen sharply since November 2022 and now comprises about 10 percent of daily sequenced COVID-19 samples worldwide. The variant is among those monitored by WHO.
2. Dominate in Some Countries
New Zealand experiences the majority of current CH.1.1 cases. There, Orthrus is responsible for more than a third of the sorted cases. Other hotspots include Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea-comprising about a quarter of cases in each country. It was behind less than a fifth of cases in Cambodia and Ireland.
3. The Origin of Orthrus
CH.1.1 is a derivative of BA.2.75, a variant that was dubbed "Centaurus" this summer but ultimately failed to dominate. The most dominant COVID-19 strains today are either descendants of BA.5, which swept the world this summer, or BA.2.75.
"Family" variants are important to watch, experts say, because recent exposure to BA.2.75 or BA.5, or one of their spawn, may have more temporary protection against infection from those family viruses.
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