BA.4 and BA.5 are the two subvariants of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus
A day after the Russian health watchdog confirmed one case of BA.4 in their country, Mumbai civic officials have confirmed three cases of BA.4 subvariant and one case of BA.5 making these the first four cases of the new subvariants of the coronavirus Omicron variant in the country.
BA.4 and BA.5 are the two subvariants of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus which were first detected in South Africa in early 2022. Until now, BA.5 has been found in 47 countries and BA.4 in 42 countries.
What is the status of the new subvariant cases?
As per reports, all the four cases of the new subvariants were found between May 14 and 24.
The one case of BA.5 subvariant infection, who is betweetn 40 to 60 years old, has taken two doses of the COVID vaccination while all the three cases of BA.4 are not vaccinated.
Out of the three cases of BA.4, two are 11 year old girls who are not yet eligible for vaccination and the last one, who is said to be between 40 to 60 years of age, is not vaccinated due to allergy.
Are there any cases of severity or hospitalisation?
So far, no severities or increased demand for hospitalisation has been seen in patients infected with these new subvariants. Even in countries where these variants are dominant right now, a surge in hospitalisation demand has not been seen.
BA.4 and BA.5 are not new viruses and are subvariants of the Omicron variant. This probably explains why no distinct symptoms have been seen in infections caused by these variants and subsequently this also throws light on less severe cases and low hospitalisation demands.
What was the treatment given to these patients?
According to the information given by the health department, these four cases have recovered so far.
They were kept under home isolation.
Does this mean a new COVID wave is imminent?
Experts have said that new subvariants and rise in COVID cases does not necessarily mean a new wave and have said it to be an anticipated fluctuation seen during endemic predominance.
Experts say the rise in COVID can be due to less use of face masks and less administration of booster shots. Increased social gathering, less restriction on movement and increased travel can also be the reason behind this.
What are the common signs of COVID associated with the Omicron variant?
Since the beginning of the year, Omicron has been the dominant variant of COVID infection worldwide. Due to its high transmissibility rate, the variant was able to take over the aggressive Delta variant within no time.
Though its rate of transmission is the highest among all variants so far, it has a mild effect on the infected individual; less severity and low hospitalisation rates have been seen since Omicron became the dominant variant.
The common signs of COVID as seen in Omicron infections are sore throat, fever, runny nose, muscle pain and fatigue. Loss of smell and taste which was commonly seen during the earlier waves of COVID infection was not seen during the Omicron wave.
So, what's the solution?
The solution lies in remaining vigilant. All the means by which the virus has a chance to propagate should be cut off.
COVID safety protocols like wearing face masks, keeping hands sanitised, avoiding touching any surface without gloves, avoiding touching face, nose or mouth without cleaning hands and keeping a physical distance of atleast 6 feet from people who are seen coughing or sneezing can keep the virus from infecting the body.
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