Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : June 8, 2022 3:38 PM IST
Health experts have expressed concern about the increasing cases of two new Omicron subvariants in the United States. They are worried that these subvariants may fuel a summer surge in COVID-19 cases.
Known as BA.4 and BA.5, the two subvariants contributed nearly 13 per cent of all new US COVID-19 cases in the week ending June 4, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As estimated by the CDC, BA.4 accounted for 5.4 per cent of the new cases, while BA.5 made up 7.6 per cent.
While these variants were present in all US regions, they represented the highest percentage of cases in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, the CDC data showed.
Health experts fear that these contagious versions of Omicron, which are known to have the ability to dodge antibodies from earlier infection, may trigger a new wave of infections in the country.
News agencies have quoted Nathan Grubaugh, an associate professor of epidemiology at Yale University's School of Public Health, as saying that that BA.4 and 5 subvariants may become the dominant Omicron lineages in the coming weeks or months.
Currently, Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 remains the dominant variant in the US, making up 62.2 per cent of all new US cases in the past week, as per the CDC data.
According to the latest CDC data, the US is seeing about 108,000 new COVID-19 cases and 300 deaths each day. But health experts argue the real number may be higher as at-home testing results had not been tracked.
The BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants were added to the WHO 's monitoring list in March. Last month, they were designated as variants of concern (VOC) by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Sating that these new subvariants had with a 12 per cent to 13 per cent growth advantage over the Omicron's BA.2 sub-lineage, ECDC had also warned that they could fuel increases in infections.
ECDC also said that new Omicron sublineages may evade vaccines and natural immunity from prior infections.
The new Omicron subvariants have also been detected in India. The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) last month confirmed the detection of two cases these subvariants in the country, one in Tamil Nadu and the other in Telangana.
Both the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of Omicron are believed to responsible for the fifth Covid-19 wave in South Africa.
With inputs from agencies
