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Corona’s new variant again raised concern

There has been relief from the corona epidemic, but no concrete study has come out about its end so far. Meanwhile, the new sub-variant of the Omicron variant of Kovid has started raising concerns. Omicron’s sub-variant BA.4.6 is spreading rapidly in the US. It has also been confirmed to spread in the UK. According to the UK Health Protection Agency’s (UKHSA) latest briefing on the Kovid variant, BA.4.6 was found in 3.3 percent of the samples taken in the UK during the week starting 14 August.

New variant of corona spread in many countries

At the same time, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, BA.4.6 now accounts for more than 9 percent of recent cases across the United States. This sub-variant of Omicron has also been identified in many other countries around the world. So, should one be worried about Omicron’s BA.4.6 sub-variant? Let’s take a look at the information so far. The BA.4.6 is a descendant of the BA.4 sub-variant of Omicron. BA.4 was first detected in South Africa in January 2022 and has since spread worldwide as a BA.5 variant.

How dangerous is this sub-variant?

It is not entirely clear how BA.4.6 emerged, but it is possible that it may be a recombinant variant. Recombination occurs when two different types of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infect the same person at the same time. Whereas BA.4.6 will be similar to BA.4 in many ways. It causes mutations in the spike protein, a protein on the surface of the virus that allows it to enter our cells. In fact, so far there have been no reports that this variant is causing more severe symptoms.

Is the vaccine effective or not?

But we also know that the Omicron subvariants are more transmissible than the previous variants. The University of Oxford reports that people who received three doses of Pfizer’s original COVID vaccine produced fewer antibodies in response to BA.4.6 than to BA.4 or BA.5. This is worrying as it suggests that the COVID vaccine may be less effective against BA.4.6.

Booster dose very important

In such a situation, it is important for us to take vaccination seriously. Several reports have claimed that the vaccination provides good protection against serious illness. Not only this, the vaccine is by far the most effective weapon against the epidemic. The new variants, including BA.4.6, are being closely monitored, as they may cause the next wave of the COVID pandemic.