INSACOG on Sunday confirmed the first cases of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 in India. A 19-year-old girl from Tamil Nadu has been found to be infected with BA.4, while an 80-year-old man from Telangana has been confirmed to have BA.5. Now, as neither of the two patients has a travel history, it seems likely that the sub-type is now spreading locally. Therefore, should we be concerned about new mutant variants?
Should we be concerned about the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5?
Experts across the world have told that there is no need to panic, however, there are 3 things that we should take care of:
- brand new omicron The subtypes – BA.2.12.1, BA.2.13, BA.4 and BA.5 have the L452 mutation which is also present in the delta variant. This gives them the ability to evade the immunity conferred by a previous infection and better associate with human cells. In this regard, epidemiologists Tulio de Oliveira “If we had been in the earlier stages of the pandemic, this could have happened. Since most of the contamination has just been vaccinated and is already immune to the previous version, the risk is much lower now,” Wire said in an interview.
- Also unlike BA.2, BA.4, BA.5 and BA.2.12.1 there was a “strong” ability to evade the immune protection given by three doses of vaccines. Nevertheless, the vaccine helps reduce the severity of the disease.
- Since the new forms have been detected in South Africa, there has been a slight increase in hospitalization, although it is much lower than in the 1 omicron wave. Also, many cases are not serious and the mortality rate is low.
What are the characteristics of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants?
Scientists studying the new sublines said that so far, the key difference between the new versions of Omicron and the previous ones is transmittance. The White House’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has estimated that it is 50% more transmissible than the original Omicron lineage.
They also noted that people who are vaccinated and aggravated cold-like symptoms as a result of Omicron infection are mostly the same regardless of subvariant. “Omicron symptoms have been pretty consistent. The incidence of people losing their sense of taste and smell is low. In many ways, it’s a bad cold, lots of respiratory symptoms, stuffy nose, cough, body aches, and fatigue.” Dennis Cunningham, systems medical director of infection control and prevention at Henry Ford Health in Detroit.
(with inputs from agencies)