The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Researchers in Botswana and South Africa have detected new sub-lineages of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 and are carrying out further investigations to fully understand crucial traits such as infectivity and virulence.
WHO says the identified sub-lineages variant are BA.4 and BA.5. and have so far been identified in four people in Botswana and 23 in South Africa.
Outside Africa, the two variants have been confirmed in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom.
On Tuesday, Botswana announced that it was investigating a new coronavirus variant in the sub-lineage of the Omicron variant.
The statement further stated that the country´s scientists have been investigating new coronavirus mutations that have so far been detected in four people.
In its weekly briefly on COVID-19, the WHO office for Africa reported that currently there is no significant epidemiological difference observed between the new sub-lineages and known sub-lineages of the Omicron variant and that there is no cause for alarm with the emergence of the new sub-variants.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti says experts are yet to observe a major spike in cases, hospitalizations or deaths Africa has had milder COVID-19 cases compared with other parts of the world but the WHO warns that it is too early to celebrate as the virus continues to circulate, with new highly transmissible variants.
VIDEO: New Omicron BA.4 , BA.5 variants detected in several countries including SA: Dr Richard Lessells
