A random Twitter user named the new BA2.75 variant of Omicron the Centaurus variant. The name seems to be sticking since all the news outlets have adopted it. BA2.75 was first detected in India in early May 2022. BA.2.75 has also since been detected in about 10 other countries, including the UK, US, Australia, Germany, Canada, and now the San Francisco Bay area in the United States. Centaurus will likely out compete BA5 in the coming weeks.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) designated it a “variant under monitoring” on 7 July, meaning there is some indication that it could be more transmissible or associated with more severe disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also closely monitoring the new variant, although its chief scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, said there were not yet enough samples to assess its severity.
Last year Delta seemed to be the worst case scenario, but Omicron which came seemingly out of nowhere was a major curve ball. Since the new variants of the BA lineage of COVID are getting better at evading immune protection form past infection and vaccines, it is becoming clear that the virus can not be treated like the common flu. It will be a problem for generations.