New COVID Variant ‘HV.1’ Has Surprising Mutations

The new variant is on the rise in the United States has features of Eris and 2022’s delta variant. What’s the impact?

COVID-19 virus. Kitreel/Shutterstock

A new COVID-19 virus variant, dubbed HV.1, has overtaken EG.5 (Eris) as the leading variant diagnosed in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest Oct. 28 report.

HV.1 has risen from 1.1 percent in early August to 25.2 percent of COVID cases. Meanwhile, EG.5 declined from 24.3 percent on Sept. 30 to its current share of 21.9 percent within one month.

Since the newest COVID booster rolled out—which was designed based on the XBB.1.5 variant—there have been two major variants that have replaced XBB.1.5 as the dominant strain in the United States. We will discuss the battle between vaccines and COVID variants in the next article.

HV.1 is responsible for an estimated 25.2 percent of all cases in the United States. CDC

HV.1 Spreads Faster

HV.1 comes after EG.5, a grandchild of XBB.1.5, or the Kraken. Due to its fast transmission rate and superior ability to evade immunity thanks to its F456L mutation, EG.5’s global prevalence increased, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to categorize it as a “variant of concern” (VOC) in early August.

HV.1 shares almost all spike mutations that EG.5 carries, including F456L. However, HV.1 has one surprising additional mutation: L452R. The L452R mutation, which increases infectivity, is one of the key mutations of the delta variant in 2021 but is absent in the omicron variant.

How could this happen? The unpredictability of these COVID virus variants should spur us to recall Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle of quantum physics. Physicists cannot determine the position or speed of a particle in the microscopic realm. Likewise, virologists cannot determine the mutation sites and the rate at which the COVID variants mutate in the viral realm, either.

HV.1 is believed to have slightly better transmissibility than the previous dominant strain EG.5, as its binding affinity to the ACE2 receptor is modestly better than EG.5’s, according to a recent analysis conducted by Peking University assistant professor Yunlong Cao and his team. Two more concerning strains are omicron subvariant HK.3 (FLip) and JN.1, which present much lower binding affinities.

HV.1 More Easily Evades Vaccines

HV.1 can further render the current COVID-19 vaccines ineffective, as it is even better able to escape vaccine-induced immunity than EG.5. This means none of the current COVID vaccines can induce any effective antibodies to bind HV.1.

This results from the variant’s key mutations F456L, L452R, F157L, and Q52H. These latest mutations indicate that the new omicron variants have developed cunning strategies to evade our manmade vaccines by explicitly targeting specific sites. By doing so, they may be able to partially or wholly escape the protective effects of vaccination, potentially leading to breakthrough infections among the vaccinated.

The virus’ faster transmissibility and improved evasiveness help explain the rising curve we observe in the CDC report.

Not surprisingly, HV.1 has shown a further reduced antibody-neutralizing response, increasing the chances of reinfection or breakthrough infections, according to Mr. Cao’s experimental data.

The Virus Changes Rapidly

Since 2022, the omicron sublineages have found new ways to evade our immune responses, enhance transmissibility, and achieve more reinfections.

SARS-CoV-2’s ability to mutate is regarded as much faster than many other endemic viruses. It mutates seven-fold faster than other coronaviruses and 2.5-fold more rapidly than a well-recognized virus with rapid antigen mutation: the influenza virus.

Why? A virus is an intelligent organism, always striving to survive. To achieve its objective, it has no option but to evolve and outpace mankind’s development of new vaccines.

One widely adopted view is that the rapid, massive vaccination campaign forced unprecedented selection pressure onto SARS-CoV-2. This is also known as population immunity pressure.

Starting in late 2022, several new omicron-lineage variants, XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, EG.5, and HV.1, have taken the stage, one after the other. These transmit more quickly and efficiently and can increasingly evade the current COVID vaccines.

Will HV.1 Cause More Severe Symptoms?

According to current data, HV.1 will likely cause the same symptoms associated with an omicron infection, such as:

• Cough.
• Fatigue.
• Congestion.
• Runny nose.

Whether HV.1 will cause more severe symptoms will most likely vary among individuals.

The virus is an external condition, while our immune systems are an internal one, but our innate immunity is a more fundamental factor that will determine the outcome of the battle.

We can’t control the virus or how it is going to mutate. However, we can control our lifestyles: what we eat, our bedtime, whether we take a daily walk outside, and even our outlook on life. All of these things matter.

Taking vitamins D and C and trace minerals, maintaining a peaceful and optimistic attitude, and avoiding stress, anxiety, and depression will all benefit our immunity.

When exposed to the same virus, the outcome for those with stronger antiviral immunity will be different than for those with weaker immunity. To win the battle with the virus, we must choose the time-tested strategy of fostering our immunity.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.