Who is studying Omicron BA.3: How contagious is it? Can it cause ‘serious illness’?

We all know about the two most prominent sub-classes of the new covid variant omicron ie ba.1 and ba.2. The World Health Organization (WHO) has now said that along with these two COVID subtypes, it is tracking another sub-class called BA.3 to assess “more severe disease” by looking at real-world data.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s top infectious disease expert, has said that omicrons still remain “a sort of concern” and that WHO is tracking omicrons in several subcategories. “The most prominent ones found around the world are BA.1, BA.1.1 and BA.2. There are also BA.3 and other sublines,” she said.

To learn more about this Omicron sublineage, a study titled ‘Emergence of Omicron third lineage BA.3 and its importance’ was published in the Journal of Medical Virology in January. It highlights how global health bodies should view Omicron BA.3.

Read also: ‘Omicron is also BA.3’: what the WHO says on signs of COVID severity in people

What is Omkron BA.3?

After Omkron emerged in Botswana in November 2021, the WHO classified it as the fifth version of concern. It was found that Omicron was also the most mutated version of SARS-CoV-2 so far, which has now circulated in 150 countries/territories as of January 8, 2022. Omicron has three lineages BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3. , The study showed that both the BA.1 and BA.2 lineages differed in their spike protein, but there were no specific mutations in the spike protein for the BA.3 lineage, implying that it is the mutation in BA.1 and BA. is a combination of. .2 Spike protein.

When was Omicron BA.3 detected?

All three lineages were first discovered at roughly the same time and from the same place: BA.1 (Botswana), BA.2 (South Africa) and BA.3 (North West South Africa). “Therefore, viruses that have evolved simultaneously and from the same location have an equal chance of spreading worldwide,” the study showed.

Although all three lineages are spread around the world, the rate of spread of these three lineages is different. The study showed, “Of these three lineages, it is questionable why only BA.1 dominates much more than the other lineages. This is probably due to differences in mutations in spike proteins required for virus transmission and host cell entry.” reason.”

Read also: Should we worry about Omicron BA.2? WHO explains Japanese laboratory study

How contagious is BA.3?

The study found that 31 of the 33 mutations in the BA.3 lineage spike protein are common to BA.1. “The BA.3 lineage caused the fewest cases among these three lineages. Therefore, it can be inferred that the BA.3 lineage is spreading at a much slower rate and that the fewer cases may be due to the loss of six mutations.” is to acquire two mutations from BA.1 or from BA.2,” the study found.

Omicron has so far been shown to cause mild disease, but “it is also possible to develop certain mutations” that can lead to severe disease, the study said.