BA.4 and BA.5 – these two new omicron subtypes are now being monitored by the World Health Organization. What we know so far about the new variants.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, new variants have kept popping up. The World Health Organization (WHO) has now included the omicron subtypes BA.4 and BA.5 in its monitoring of omicron variants. Along with Delta, Omikron continues to be classified as a “variant of concern.” Both subvariants were detected a few days ago in South Africa and Botswana.
There are also first positive tests in Denmark, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain, writes Tulio de Olivera, director of the Center for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa. His facility was the first to detect the new virus strains. The two new sub-variants partly have different characteristics than other Omicron variants.
How dangerous BA.4 and BA.5 are has yet to be investigated
Specialists are investigating whether BA.4 and BA.5 spread faster than other virus lines, whether they differ from others in terms of the course of the disease and how vaccines work against them. So far there are no signs that people infected with BA.4 or BA.5 have a more severe course of the disease, said WHO Covid-19 expert Maria van Kerkhove. According to their information, however, fewer than 200 sequencings of these subvariants have been uploaded to the WHO database. Van Kerkhove called on countries to continue to closely monitor the development of variants.
With new coronavirus sub-variants emerging, the World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned that countries are testing less. “We need to be following this virus closely in every single country,” said WHO Emergency Director Mike Ryan. The virus is constantly changing, new developments must be discovered as early as possible. “We cannot afford to lose sight of the virus.” It would be very short-sighted to think that the risk of contagion has decreased because of fewer reported infections.
Omicron recombination in Britain
Researchers in Great Britain also recently drew attention to three new virus variants. These are mixed variants, called recombinations, from omicron subtypes or delta and an omicron subvariant.
The Omikron XE variant deserves special attention. It is a recombination of the omicron subtypes BA.1 and BA.2. More than 1,000 cases of Omikron XE have now been detected in the UK, according to the latest report from Britain’s UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). In the previous report dated March 25, 2022, the researchers recorded the recombination 763 times.
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Source: Stern
