 In late 2022, several armacran subvariant strains began circulating globally. These strains had mutations in their spike proteins which increased their fitness and allowed them to evade detection from existing vaccines. One particular variant, BQ.1.1, was found to have five key mutations in its spike protein which made it more resistant to antibodies and serum-based tests. This variant also showed reduced pathogenicity in animal models compared to other armacran strains. This article was authored by Jumpy Ito, Rijal Suzuki, Kaya Yuru, and others.