New variant of covid

A new omicron subvariant, BA.4, has driven daily cases in South Africa up to over 6000 per day, from a few hundred just a few weeks ago.

Experts say that may be because it has a more developed public health system and keeps better records of hospitalizations and deaths than other African countries. So far, it hasn’t made inroads in the U.S., where BA.2 remains the dominant strain and its descendant, called BA.2.12.1, is gaining ground. South Africa is recording just over 6,000 Covid-19 cases a day, up from a few hundred just a few weeks ago. Experts say BA.4 seems to be more transmissible than both the original omicron variant and an omicron relative known as BA.2. Scientists are still studying the new mutant, but it doesn’t appear that BA.4 causes more severe disease than other versions of the virus, the World Health Organization said in a recent report. Wastewater surveillance has also shown increases in coronavirus spread. The new mutant appears to be quickly achieving dominance over the original omicron and other versions of the virus, but Abdool Karim said "it’s too early to tell whether BA.4 is going to cause a fully-fledged wave."

South Africa's health minister says it is likely the country has entered a new wave of COVID-19 earlier than expected as new infections and hospitalizations ...

JOHANNESBURG -- South Africa has likely entered a new wave of COVID-19 earlier than expected as new infections and hospitalizations have risen rapidly over the past two weeks, the country’s health minister said on Friday. The country’s new infections are now several thousand per day, up from a few hundred a few weeks ago. South Africa's health minister says it is likely the country has entered a new wave of COVID-19 earlier than expected as new infections and hospitalizations have risen rapidly over the past two weeks

Coronavirus cases had been dropping in South Africa, but a new Omicron subvariant that scientists call BA.4 began pushing up infections last week.

So far, it hasn’t made inroads in the U.S., where BA.2 remains the dominant strain and its descendant, called BA.2.12.1, is gaining ground. The proportion of positive tests jumped from 4% in mid-April to 19% Thursday, according to official figures. Experts say BA.4 seems to be more transmissible than the original Omicron variant and the “stealth” subvariant known as BA.2. Scientists are still studying the new mutant, but it doesn’t appear that BA.4 causes more severe disease than other versions of the virus, the World Health Organization said in a recent report. The increase in coronavirus cases is “pretty significant,” a top official said, underscoring the importance of vaccinations, booster shots and masks. The new mutant appears to be quickly achieving dominance over the original Omicron variant and other versions of the coronavirus, but Abdool Karim said that “it’s too early to tell whether BA.4 is going to cause a fully fledged wave.” So far, there has been only a slight rise in hospitalizations and no increase in deaths, said Abdool Karim, who is a public health expert at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

covid Coronavirus cells or bacteria molecule. Virus Covid-19 omicron isolated on white. Adobe Stock. FRIDAY, April 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) ...

BA.4 appears more transmissible than both the original Omicron variant and an Omicron subvariant called BA.2, experts say. The new Omicron subvariant isn't yet an issue in the United States, where the Omicron subvariant BA.2 is the dominant strain, and a descendant called BA.2.12.1 that's believed to spread faster than previous versions of the coronavirus is becoming more common, the AP reported. It appears the BA.4 subvariant is quickly pushing aside the original Omicron variant and other versions of the coronavirus, but "it's too early to tell whether BA.4 is going to cause a fully-fledged wave," Abdool Karim said, the AP reported. However, the World Health Organization recently said that BA.4 doesn't seem to cause more severe illness than other versions of the coronavirus, the AP reported. The number of daily cases reported by the country has shot up from just a few hundred a few weeks ago to just over 6,000, and the rate of positive tests has jumped from 4% in mid-April to 19% as of Thursday, according to the Associated Press. FRIDAY, April 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A new Omicron subvariant called BA.4 appears to be driving a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in South Africa, health experts say.

It's happening again. South Africa is seeing another spike in COVID-19 cases, this time from two new omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5.

But there is another trend emerging — and it could be good news, at least in theory, Silvera said. This is what experts mean when they talk about “growth advantage.” In the past, we saw new variants crop up: alpha, beta, gamma, delta — they had varying mutations and were all different from one another. “Meaning, people who had omicron, BA.1, may not have the same level of immunity, so reinfection might be possible.” It’s unclear what it could mean for New Jersey. But the omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November before spreading around the world, reaching the Garden State just days later. Waning natural immunity from previous waves could be the explanation. “Unlike the transition from delta to omicron, which were two very different variants with different origins,” she said, “we’re starting to see more (sublineages) of omicron, which means if this is the variant — the family that has the growth advantage — we can, in theory, predict that the next wave will also be a sublineage, and so, in theory, we should be able to adapt the vaccines.”