The key facts
- The PJ.2.1 variant, dubbed the “ultra-mutant,” was first detected in May 2026; cases have been registered in Canada, the United States, and Spain
- Gintsburg: the need to update vaccines must be verified with antibody experiments; modeling is not enough
- Rizvanov suggested that individual cases may have been imported into Russia unnoticed
The new variant requires monitoring, but conclusions should come only after experiments
The spread of the new coronavirus variant PJ.2.1 in the United States and Europe may require updating existing CoViD-19 vaccines, but first it is necessary to check how well the current preparations protect against the changed pathogen. Alexander Gintsburg, scientific director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, told the Izvestia newspaper about this, as reported by Life.ru. “The widespread distribution of PJ.2.1 around the world is a serious reason for epidemiological monitoring of this strain and for checking whether existing vaccines need to be updated,” the outlet quoted him as saying.
Why modeling is not enough
According to Gintsburg, if the number of infections continues to grow, scientists will need to study the virus-neutralizing activity of antibodies formed after vaccination: this will show whether immune protection recognizes the new variant. “Even the most modern modeling methods cannot assess the effectiveness of a preparation against this variant; experiments with the antibodies produced in response to the Sputnik V vaccine are necessary,” the scientist explained. Thus, the question of changing the composition of the vaccines remains open for now: a decision can be made only based on the results of laboratory studies, not on the basis of the strain's genetic description.
What is known about the strain and its spread
The PJ.2.1 variant was first detected in May 2026; subsequently, infection cases were registered in Canada, the United States, and Spain. Due to its numerous genetic changes, it received the unofficial name “ultra-mutant.” Researchers point to changes in the structure of the spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells: such mutations may affect how the immune system recognizes the virus. At the same time, as noted in the publication, a large number of changes does not by itself mean that the variant will necessarily cause a large wave of illness or more severe consequences.
Possible imported cases and cautious assessments
Albert Rizvanov, head of the Personalized Medicine Center at Kazan Federal University, suggested that individual cases of PJ.2.1 infection may already have been imported into Russia and gone unnoticed. He emphasized that the emergence of a new variant does not yet mean its future dominance: previously, many coronavirus variants that caused concern never spread widely. According to the publication, specialists consider it necessary to continue monitoring the strain and studying its interaction with antibodies. Earlier, Life.ru reportedthat back in May 2023, Gintsburg proposed creating a system for regularly updating coronavirus vaccines, by analogy with the annual update of influenza vaccines.
