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Delhi reports ‘couple of cases’ of new omicron sub-variant

Researchers say these sub-variants, although found to be spreading faster as per data from other countries, did not have any clinical significance

A health worker collects swab sample from a person for Covid-19 test. (Express file photo)

Delhi in mid-June detected a “couple of cases” of the BA.5 sub-variant that, along with the BA.4 sub-variant of omicron, led to the fifth wave of Covid in South Africa. The first case of the new variant was detected in May-end in Telangana.

The number of sequences of these sub-variants has started increasing; the BA.2 sub-variant that led to the surge in cases in January continues to be dominant. However, researchers from the country’s Covid genome sequencing consortium said that these sub-variants, although found to be spreading faster as per data from other countries, did not have any clinical significance.

Though there has been an increase in Covid cases in Delhi and the country, there hasn’t been a proportional increase in hospitalisations or deaths. City doctors say that they have been seeing people with symptoms similar to what was seen during the January wave – fever, cough and cold, sore throat, and lethargy, with more people reporting gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting this time around.

“A couple of BA.5 sequences have been reported from labs at AIIMS and NCDC, but again these did not form any clusters,” said a researcher associated with the genomic sequencing consortium INSACOG.

The two sub-variants have two mutations of significance – F486V, which lab studies have associated with the ability of the virus to evade some of the existing immunity, and L452R, which was found in the Delta variant associated with the ability to infect the lungs. However, there was no significant increase in hospitalisations even in South Africa when BA.4 and BA.5 were circulating. Doctors from the city have hardly reported any Covid-related pneumonia that led to higher hospitalisations, oxygen requirement, and mortality in the second wave in April 2021.

According to doctors, most patients currently admitted have Covid as an incidental finding, meaning they came in for treatment of some other illness and discovered they had Covid during routine testing.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

First uploaded on: 28-06-2022 at 17:58 IST

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