Written By: Mr. Swapnil Bhowmick

Published On: 26 May, 2022 11:50 AM | Updated On: 19 Nov, 2024 10:06 AM

Symptoms and Severity of Omicron: BA.4 and BA.5 | Medtalks

Both The BA.4 And BA.5 Omicron Variants Have Been Linked To The Fifth Covid-19 Wave In South Africa, With Reports Coming In From The US And Europe Recently. The BA.4 And BA.5 Omicron Subvariants Were Recognized As Variants Of Concern (VOC) By The European Centre For Disease Prevention And Control (ECDC) Last Week.

What Are BA.4 & BA.5?

The European Centre For Disease Prevention And Control (ECDC) Recognized The BA.4 And BA.5 Omicron Subvariants As Variations Of Concern (VOC) Last Week, Saying They Could Drive A Rise In Infections Due To A Growth Advantage Of 12% To 13% Above The BA.2 Sub-Lineage Of The Omicron.

Both Are Subvariants Of The Virus's Fast-Spreading Omicron Variant, Which Caused A Nationwide Outbreak Earlier This Year. According To The Head Of The Gene Sequencing Teams That Generated Research On The Strains, New Omicron Sublineages Revealed By South African Scientists This Month Are Likely Able To Resist Vaccines And Natural Immunity From Earlier Infections.

Symptoms & Severity Of BA.4 & BA.5 Omicron Subvariant Infection

• The BA.4 And BA.5 Sublineages Appear To Be More Infectious Than The Previous BA.2 Lineage, Which Was More Infectious Than The Original Omicron Variety, According To Tulio De Oliveira, The Head Of The Institutes At The Universities Of KwaZulu-Natal And Stellenbosch.

• Omicron Has Developed Distinctive Mutations Of Its Own As A Result Of Its Rapid Expansion And Numerous Possibilities To Mutate. Several Sub-Lineages, Or Sub-Variants, Have Resulted From This.

• The First Two Were Given The Designations BA.1 And BA.2. BA.1.1, BA.3, BA.4, And BA.5 Are Now Included In The Current List.

• These Omicron Subvariants – Namely BA.4 And BA.5 – Are Particularly Effective At Reinfecting People Who Had Previously Been Infected With BA.1 Or Other Lineages. These Subvariants May Potentially Infect Patients Who Have Already Been Immunized.

Countries Affected By BA.4 & BA.5 Omicron Subvariants

Apart From South Africa And Now India, BA.4 And BA.5 Have Been Found In Several Nations. 

BA.4 Has Been Found In:

• Austria, 

• The United Kingdom, 

• The United States, 

• Denmark, 

• Belgium, 

• Israel, 

• Germany, 

• Italy, 

• Canada, 

• France, 

• The Netherlands, 

• Australia, 

• Switzerland, 

• Botswana.

BA.5 Has Been Discovered In The Following Countries: 

• Portugal, 

• Germany, 

• The United Kingdom, 

• The United States, 

• Denmark, 

• France, 

• Austria, 

• Belgium, 

• Hong Kong, 

• Australia, 

• Canada, 

• Israel, 

• Norway, 

• Pakistan, 

• Spain, 

• Switzerland.

Recent Updates Regarding BA.4 & BA.5 Omicron Subvariants In India

The Presence Of BA.4 And BA.5 Variants Of Covid-19 In India Has Been Confirmed By The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). The BA.4 Variant Of SARS-CoV-2 Was Found In A 19-Year-Old Female From Tamil Nadu Who Had Only Minor Symptoms And Was Fully Vaccinated, According To INSACOG, While An 80-Year-Old Male From Telangana Tested Positive For The BA.5 Version Of Covid-19. The Telangana Patient Was Likewise Fully Vaccinated And Showed Only Minor Symptoms.

Both Individuals Had No Prior Travel History And Were Immune To Covid-19. The INSACOG Said In A Statement That Contact Tracking For The Patients Has Begun.A South African Visitor Tested Positive For The BA.4 Type Of Covid-19 On His Arrival At Hyderabad Airport Before The 19-Year-Old Female From Tamil Nadu. 

It's Worth Noting That Omicron Sub-Variants BA.4 And BA.5 Were First Discovered In South Africa And Have Since Spread To Various Other Nations. These Variations, However, Have Not Been Linked To Increased Illness Severity Or Hospitalization.

References:

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