Covid-19: Fiocruz confirms the circulation of a new variant in Rio de Janeiro

XFG represents 62% of sequential cases in the capital of Rio de Janeiro and is also present in San Paolo, Ceará and Santa Catarina

THE Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) confirmed the circulation of the XFG variant of crown virus In the city of Rio de Janeiro. The lineage was identified in 46 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed from 1 to 8 July, equal to 62% of the genomes analyzed in the period.

Rio de Janeiro is the fourth state with Cepa identification, also in circulation San Paolo (two cases), Ceará (six cases) and Santa Catarina (three cases).

Initially detected in the South -est Asia, the XFG lineage spread rapidly in different countries and, on June 25, it was classified by World Health Organization (WHO) as “variant under monitoring”.

Risks

According to the WHO, until 22 June, 1,648 positive tests for the variant of the world were documented.

Considering the results between May 26 and June 1, XFG represented 22.7% of the samples analyzed globally. Just four weeks earlier, the proportion was 7.4%.

In the South -East Asia, the presence of the variant went from 17.3% to 68.7% in the same period. He is also dominant in India.

However, according to the entity, the risk that XFG offers public health globally is low.

Variant profile

XFG is part of the Moraron family and is a combination of two other variants: LF.7 and LP.8.1.2. The oldest champion was collected on January 27, 2025.

Compared to other circulation strains, it has a different mutation profile in the Spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells.

According to Who’s analyzes, these mutations make the variant a little more able to escape the response of the immune system than LP.8.1, for example.

According to the infectologist Renato Grinba, consultant of the Brazilian Society of Infectousology (SBI), the fact that this variant has more mutations is a source of attention. “There is a possibility, although remote, to have more serious cases, but not like those we had in 2020,” he says.

However, there is still no evidence that the severity of the image associated with XFG is greater than that caused by other variants in circulation. “All this degree of warning is exactly to prevent the spread and spread of a tension that could theoretically be more intense,” explains the doctor.

Symptoms

The symptoms associated with XFG are similar to those of other Sars-Cov-2 strains. According to Grinbaum, a difference point is that gastrointestinal signals such as abdominal pain and diarrhea are slightly more frequent. Another symptom reported by patients with variant is Raucendine.

Vaccination

According to whom, the vaccines Against Covid-19 currently approved they remain effective against this variant, avoiding the worsening of the disease.

Thus, as pointed out in the Ministry of Health, the immunization It is the main way to protect you. By 2025, over 14.2 million doses have already been distributed throughout the country.

In addition, since 2024, the Covid-19 vaccine has joined the national calendar for pregnant women, the elderly and children. It is applied to all basic health units (UBSS).

Source: Terra

Rose

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