BA.5, part of the Omicron family, is the latest variant of the coronavirus to cause widespread waves of infection worldwide. It was behind 52% of cases analyzed at the end of June, up from 37% a week earlier, according to the World Health Organization’s most recent report. In the United States, it is estimated to cause about 65% of infections.
NUMBERS OF CASES ARE INCREASING
BA.5 is not new. It was first detected in January and has been monitored by the WHO since April. It is a sister variant of the Omicron strain that has dominated globally since late 2021 and has already caused spikes in case rates – even with reduced testing – in countries such as South Africa, where it was first found, as well as the UK, parts of Europe and Australia. Global coronavirus cases have now risen for four weeks in a row, according to WHO data.
BECAUSE IT IS SPREADING
Like its closely related sibling, BA.4, BA.5 is particularly good at evading the immune protection provided by either vaccination or prior infection. For this reason, “BA.5 has a development advantage over other Omicron sublines that are out there,” Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead for COVID-19, said at a press conference on Tuesday. For many people, this means they are re-infected, often even some time after having COVID-19. Van Kerkhove said the WHO is evaluating reports of reinfections. “We have ample evidence that people infected with Omicron are infected with BA.5. There’s no doubt about that,” said Gregory Polon, a virologist and vaccine researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. If this seems particularly common now, it could just be because a lot of people took Omicron, the researchers suggest.
NO MORE SERIOUS
While rising cases have prompted more hospitalizations in some countries, deaths have not increased dramatically. That’s largely because vaccines continue to protect against serious illness and death, if not infection, and manufacturers and regulators are also considering tailored vaccines that directly target the newer Omicron variants. There is also no evidence that BA.5 is more dangerous than any of the other Omicron variants, WHO’s Van Kerkhove said, although spikes in cases could put health services under pressure and put more people at risk of contracting the virus. COVID. The WHO and other experts have also said the ongoing pandemic — prolonged by vaccine disparity and the desire in many countries to “pass” COVID-19 — will only lead to more new and unpredictable variants. Scientists are already drawing attention to BA.2.75, first identified in India, which has a large number of mutations and is spreading rapidly. The WHO said on Tuesday that the pandemic remains a global health emergency and countries should consider public health measures such as coverage and social distancing when cases increase, alongside vaccinations. Read the full story “What people basically don’t understand is that when there’s this high level of community transmission, it’s going to mutate,” Poland said. “Who knows what will come next. We are playing with fire.” Reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago. edited by Philippa Fletcher
