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• The two subvariants are present in Botswana, South Africa, Germany, Denmark
The World Health Organization said that Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are circulating at low levels in several countries within Southern Africa and Europe.
WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19 Maria Van Kerkhove said that the two subvariants of the highly contagious COVID-19 strain have been detected in Botswana, South Africa, Germany, and Denmark, among other countries.
“It is still early days. What we have to make sure is that we continue to have the ability to track, the ability to share, and the ability to analyze so that we can answer questions like this,” Van Kerkhove said during a WHO briefing.
Also read: More contagious Omicron sub-variant BA.2 makes up over 72% of COVID variants in US
BA.4 and BA.5 don’t appear to be more contagious or deadly than the original omicron mutation so far, but that could change as more cases are detected, she added.
Reuters had earlier reported that there were 27 reported sequences of BA.5 as of April 8, all reported in South Africa between February 25 to March 25.
Botswana’s health ministry on Monday said it had identified both BA.4 and BA.5 cases among fully vaccinated individuals aged 30 to 50, mentioned the report.
WHO issued an announcement on the same day stating that they were tracking a few dozen cases of the two new sub-variants of the highly transmissible Omicron strain. “We are already tracking BA.1 and BA.2 - now globally dominant - as well as BA.1.1 and BA.3,” informed the organization.
Also read: China's Guangzhou imposes COVID-19 restrictions, Shanghai’s new cases soar to record level
Inputs from Reuters