On April 15, the WHO stated that dozens of cases of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subtype variants had been tracked globally. It is reported that,In addition to South Africa, Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 strains have been identified in 20 countries around the world.
According to Health Times, on May 2, local time, Dr. Farid Abdullah, a medical expert from the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), said at a press conference,In the next period of time, the two new variants of the newly discovered Omicron mutant strain, BA.4 and BA.5, are very likely to become the peak of a new wave of epidemics.
Scientists from the South African Gene Sequencing Research Institute said that the new virus Omicron subtype variants BA.4 and BA.5 discovered in South Africa this month,Likely to be able to evade the vaccine, as well as the natural immunity of infected people。
South African expert Tulio said that compared with BA.2 and BA.1, BA.4 and BA.5 may be more contagious
“From the data of various countries, the virus strain is more infectious than the currently popular Omicron BA.2, but there are still relatively few global cases.”
Yu Chuanhua, a professor of epidemiology and health statistics at Wuhan University, believes that any new strain will have more or less immune escape from the corresponding virus vaccine, and the farther the virus is related, the more serious the immune escape. In the prevention and control of overseas imports, it is necessary to increase the awareness and attention to the Omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5, and we must not relax our vigilance.
According to the data, the Omikron variant first appeared in South Africa and Botswana in November last year, and then swept the world. Currently, the Omikron BA.2 subline variant dominates more than 99% of new cases worldwide.