Dozens of cases of sub-variants are monitored with BA.4 and BA.5, sister variants of the original BA.1 Omicron variant, added to the WHO list for monitoring. In recent weeks, the United Kingdom has been hit by a further rise in Covid-19 cases, with infections caused by a subtype of the Omicron variant known as BA.2 or “Stealth Omicron”. Although the rapid increase in cases seems to be receding, the cases remain high and the United Kingdom Health Insurance Agency (UKHSA) recorded 333,347 positive tests in seven days on April 8. A total of 1,475 deaths were also reported and 16,407 people were admitted to hospital. Covid continues to be widespread around the world, with record cases reported in Shanghai, China, where a new lockdown has taken effect. But what are the new Omicron variants?
What are BA.4 and BA.5?
BA.4 and BA.5 are sub-variants of the original Omicron variant of Covid-19 that has already been mutated several times. Dozens of BA.4 cases have been reported in South Africa, Denmark, Botswana, Scotland and England. Meanwhile, cases of BA.5 have been reported in both South Africa and Botswana.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms have been reported to be quite mild. On Monday, Botswana’s health ministry said it had identified four cases of BA.4 and BA.5, all among people aged 30 to 50 who had been fully vaccinated. They are said to have mild symptoms. According to the ZOE Covid application, the most common symptoms reported by patients with BA.2 – another subtype of the Omicron variant – are currently: runny nose, headache, sore throat and fatigue. Other common symptoms of Covid include sneezing, persistent cough, hoarseness, chills or chills, unusual joint pain, fever, dizziness, fog, eye pain, bad breath, muscle aches, swollen glands, swollen glands, and swollen glands.
How much should we worry?
The Omicron variant has already been mutated several times into BA.1 and BA.2 (or “Stealth Omicron”) with subcategories that they fear are more contagious than its parent variant. Professor Adrian Esterman, a former World Health Organization epidemiologist, warned on social media: “Omicron BA.2 is about 1.4 times more contagious than BA.1. The base number (R0) for BA.1 is about 8.2, making R0 for BA.2 about 12. This makes it very close to measles, the most contagious disease we know of. However, at present those who have the new vaccinated variants appear to have mild symptoms. The WHO will continue to monitor the spread of the new sub-variants.
