QTQTX motif is dispensable for spike cleavage and lung cell entry of BA.3.2 1/7 The furin cleavage motif in SARS-CoV-2 spike is essential for lung cell entry and a virulence determinant (absent from other known sarbecoviruses). www.cell.com/molecular-ce...

Arabian MERS-CoV Spikes Evade Soluble DPP4 Inhibition MERS-CoV often causes severe disease but spreads poorly between humans. If it adapts for efficient transmission, pandemic risk rises - especially since immunity from SARS-CoV-2 or seasonal coronaviruses likely offers little protection. 1/7

I’ve spent the last few months talking to misinfo/disinfo researchers about how generative AI is changing the field. One takeaway: It’s not just changing the scale of the problem but also how researchers are studying it. Story in @science.org is here and 🧵 with some takeaways this weekend: 🧪

Switzerland, deconvolutions until April 6: Interestingly, BA.3.2* relative loads have not further increased. Note that uncertainty at the currently very low abs. viral loads can be very large, hence the observed swings in the data. This in itself is not a new phenomenon. bsky.app/profile/domi...

I seem to recall reading here that “sh*t doesn’t lie.” I’d push back on that. The age group most affected by BA.3.2 is largely in diapers, meaning much of that waste never reaches wastewater systems. As a result, wastewater data may underestimate actual viral circulation. #BA32

Now I am intrigued. The COVID case distribution between the very young and the elderly shifted in Australia in the last quarter of 2025 - exactly when the frequency of BA.3.2 started to rise markedly in several parts of Australia.

What might be noteworthy in Australia 🇦🇺is a slide shift in COVID case distribution between the very young and the elderly - the two popluation groups disproportionally affected by COVID.

BA.3.2 frequency in Australia - slow but constant increase GISAID data

Data are very limited, so any conclusions remain tentative, but BA.3.2 may already have peaked in Ireland 🇮🇪, while XFG appears to be rising again. #BA32

VIGILANT annual meeting in Ljubljana New findings, great discussions, and valuable input from our Scientific Advisory Board. Projects are advancing, collaborations strengthening, and progress toward broad-spectrum antivirals continues. Thanks to all involved - and to the European Union for funding

In parallel with the spread of BA.3.2 in Europe, sequencing activity continues to decline - steadily and substantially. In some countries, surveillance is now so limited that we are almost flying blind. #BA32

BA.3.2 is spreading efficiently across Europe, with high frequency in countries like France, Spain, Norway, and Ireland. #BA32

AIDS Creeps Back in Parts of Zambia, a Year After U.S. Cuts to H.I.V. Assistance www.nytimes.com/2026/04/25/h...

In contrast to Ireland, Spain, France and others, BA.3.2 is not taking off in Sweden so far. However, relyable data are only available up to March 15. #BA32

Ireland sequencing data are now sparse: very few sequences are available for March, and none so far for April. Up to March 1, BA.3.2 was the dominant lineage. #BA32

Sequence data from the Netherlands allow for two conclusions: ➡️Sequencing activity (i.e. "samples (n))" has dropped markedly in 2026 - weekly graphs are becoming less meaningful due to sparse data. ➡️At the same time, BA.3.2* frequency remains high and stable. #BA32

BA.3.2* also dominant in France. #BA32

Impressive data from Spain. BA.3.2* dominates. #BA32

Continued high frequency of BA.3.2* in Norway. #BA32

I continue to catch up with SARS-CoV-2 sequences, focusing on countries with high BA.3.2* frequency early in 2026.

Not having tracked SARS-CoV-2 for a while, it was interesting to look at countries like Denmark 🇩🇰, which had a high BA.3.2 frequency in early 2026. Now: ➡️BA.3.2 frequency remains high ➡️Sequencing activity is decreasing

I did not have the chance to update my graphs on SARS-CoV-2 spread in recent weeks. Apparently, there is not much new in Germany 🇩🇪. BA.3.2 persists at low levels. #BA32

A NEW PHASE OF SARS-COV-2 EVOLUTION? The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has followed a familiar pattern: new variants emerged, spread rapidly across the globe, and replaced their predecessors - triggering successive waves of infection.

Does BA.3.2 epidemiology imply a change in SARS-CoV-2 evolution? - The Lancet Infectious Diseases www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Q1020R in the spike proteins of MERS-CoV from Arabian camels confers resistance against soluble human DPP4 | Journal of Virology journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

C.D.C. Pauses Testing for Rabies and Pox Viruses www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/h...

I’ve been out sick for a few days, but apparently some things haven’t changed in the meantime - like BA.3.2 staying low in South Australia 🇦🇺. #BA32

BA.3.2 is almost gone from Germany 🇩🇪. If I had bet money on BA.3.2 evolution, there would be no breakfast tomorrow. #BA32

BA.3.2 dominates in Norway. #BA32

An enzyme inside the bacterial-cell membrane chops up viral DNA on entry www.nature.com/articles/d41...

J. Michael Bishop, Nobel Prize Winner for Cancer Research, Dies at 90 www.nytimes.com/2026/03/22/o...

BA.3.2* cannot gain ground in New Zealand 🇳🇿. #BA32

Numbers are still low, but the trend is clear - BA.3.2* is dominating in Spain 🇪🇸 #BA32

Institution rankings www.nature.com/nature-index...

Low Numbers but BA.3.2 appears to be dominant in South Korea, it is important because it is the first NB.1.8.1 dominated country to switch to BA.3.2 @snpoehlm.bsky.social @josetteschoenma.bsky.social

BA.3.2 was first detected in South Africa 🇿🇦 in November 2024. Never reached dominance, never disappeard. 14 months after its emergence it accounts for 20% of all sequences. Unusual. #BA32

BA.3.2 dominates in Spain 🇪🇸. #BA32

New sequences confirm BA.3.2* dominance in France. #BA32

Applying machine learning to identify unrecognized COVID-19 deaths recorded as other causes of death in the United States | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

BA.3.2 is dominant in Luxembourg 🇱🇺. #BA32

BA.3.2 dominant in Queensland, Australia 🇦🇺. #BA32

BA.3.2 frequency in Sweden remains low. #BA32

Quite a comeback of BA.3.2* in New South Wales, Australia 🇦🇺. Dominance can be expected. #BA32

BA.3.2 may well be on the road to dominance in France 🇫🇷. The rise in BA.3.2 frequency is accompanied by a decline in XFG* frequency, as expected. #BA32

This study reports how highly pathogenic avian influenza A viruses such as H5N1 acquire a multibasic cleavage site - the key determinant of high pathogenicity. Polymerase trapping as the mechanism of H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus genesis | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

New sequences from Italy 🇮🇹. Confirm high frequency of BA.3.2. Attempt at dominance might have already ended. #BA32

BA.3.2 persists in Germany 🇩🇪 at low levels. At the same time, the frequency of NB.1.8.1 is increasing, paralleled by a decline in XFG frequency. #BA32

71 new sequences from Greece 🇬🇷, mostly collected in 2026. Roughly 15% are BA.3.2* #BA32

A much-needed vaccine for Nipah virus www.nature.com/articles/d41...