Coronavirus: The newest COVID-19 variant Omicron BA.4.6; symptoms to watch out for

Although with Omicron, the SARs-CoV-2 virus has taken a milder turn, new COVID variants and subvariants continue to emerge.

Since the onset of the deadly virus in 2020, there have been multiple mutations and changes in the original strain. While some coronavirus variants, like the alpha and the delta, took a massive toll on our health and wellness, variants like the Omicron have been slightly more merciful.

The latest is the new Omicron BA.4.6., which according to the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) "was identified as part of horizon scanning on 15 August 2022. On 1 September 2022 BA.4.6 was designated as variant V-22SEP-01 due to an observed increase in growth rate.”

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The newest COVID variant Omicron BA 4.6 is said to be a sub-lineage of the BA.4 variant which, along with BA.5 had started to spread in many parts of the world including the US and the UK. This is said to have led to the emergence of the BA.4.6.

As per the UKHSA, the latest subvariant accounts for about three percent of “sequences in the week beginning 14th August 2022”.

In addition, as of September 5, BA.4.6 has a growth rate of 36 percent “relative to the dominant lineage in England, BA5”.

Similarly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), BA.4.6 now accounts for more than 9% of recent cases across the US.

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While it is not yet clear as to how Omicron BA.4.6 emerged, experts say it could be a recombinant variant.

A viral recombination occurs when viruses of two different parent strains infect the same host cell at the same time.

Earlier, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned of the recombinant virus XE, which is a combination strain of two subvariants of the Omicron strain, i.e. the BA.1 and the BA.2.

So far, the Omicron variant and its subvariants are known to cause mild infections. We have witnessed fewer COVID deaths in the recent past. Experts believe and hope that it is the same with the new BA.4.6. In fact, as of now, there have been no cases of severity in respect to the subvariant.

However, we are also aware that the Omicron subvariants are extremely transmissible and can even evade natural and vaccine-induced immunity. Given the higher growth rate of the BA.4.6, emerging data suggests that the new variant may be even better at evading the immune system than the dominant BA.5.

Given that the BA.4.6 is very new, there is not much that is known about the variant. However, what experts have time and again expressed is how much the symptoms have changed over the course of two years.

With newer variants like the Omicron, sore throat, headache, blocked, stuffy and runny nose, and cough with no phlegm are some of the most common symptoms.

Loss of sense of smell and taste, a continuous cough, fatigue and severe symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain are less common.

With the emergence of Omicron BA.4.6 subvariant, it is now confirmed that COVID-19 is still among us and is spreading. The difference is that it is only causing mild diseases. That said, while breakthrough infections are still prevalent, getting your vaccination and booster shots are still very important. It continues to offer good protection against severe disease.

So far, India’s cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 216.41 Cr with over 4.07 Cr first dose vaccines administered for age group 12-14 years. Indian government had rolled out the vaccination programme for senior citizens and those above 18 years of age in January 2021.