The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is monitoring the BA.4 and BA.5 lineages, which are “sister variations” of the BA.1 Omicron variant, amid mounting concerns about the occurrence of coronavirus variants.
The BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron variants, as well as the BA.1.1 and BA.3, have been tracked by the UN health organization. “BA.2 now represents nearly 94 percent of all sequenced cases”.
What are the “sister variants” BA.4 and BA.5?
BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron lineage variations were discovered by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The agency said work is underway to “precisely define” the phylogeny of the new variants.
GISAID on BA.4
The first BA.4 sample under GISAID, according to UKHSA, came from South Africa. It likewise reported the first case in January of this year.
Countries with BA.4 genomes
GISAID informed that South Africa had 41 genome cases, and Denmark had three genome cases. Botswana had two, England and Scotland each also had one case.
“Although the number of total genomes is small, the apparent geographic spread suggests that the variant is transmitting successfully,” UKHSA said.
Cases of BA.5 in South Africa
BA.5 has the same mutations as BA.4, but it also has other characteristics, according to the UKHSA. Since February, the agency has monitored 27 BA.5 sequences, all of which were in South Africa.