New Delhi: BA.4.6, a subvariant of the omicron COVID variant which has been quickly gaining traction in the US, is now confirmed to be spreading in the UK. The latest briefing document on COVID variants from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) noted that during the week beginning August 14, BA.4.6 accounted for 3.3 per cent of samples in the UK. It has since grown to make up around 9 per cent of sequenced cases, news agency PTI reported.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, BA.4.6 now accounts for more than 9 per cent of recent cases across the US. The variant has also been identified in several other countries around the world.
What is BA.4.6 variant?
The emergence of BA.4.6 and other new variants is concerning. It shows the virus is still very much with us, and is mutating to find new ways to overcome our immune response from vaccination and previous infections. People who have had COVID previously can contract the virus again, and this has been particularly true of omicron. In some cases, subsequent episodes can be worse.
Close monitoring of new variants including BA.4.6 is pressing, as they could lead to the next wave of COVID pandemic, the report said, adding that for the public, it will pay to stay cautious, and comply with any public health measures in place to prevent the spread of what remains a very contagious virus.
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