New COVID Variant BQ.1 Found In US; ‘ Pretty Troublesome,’ Say Health Experts. Here Is Why

Washington: While the country is seeing a decline in Covid-10 cases, health experts are worried about the new strain. According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of new Covid strains is increasing around the world and in the US. According to the CDC’s latest estimate, the new variant BQ.1 accounts for at least 1 in 10 cases in the US. President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser and top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci sounded the alarm regarding this new emergence of BQ.1.Also Read – 5th Police Officer Killed in Raleigh, North Carolina Shooting; suspect ‘contained’

Speaking to CBS News, Fauci said the CDC estimates the BQ.1 Covid-19 strain already accounts for 10 percent of new infections nationwide. Also Read – China detects new Omicron sub-variants with greater transmissibility, reports more than 1900 cases in 24 hours

Why is the new Covid variant BQ.1 problematic?

• CDC previously bundled BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 with their shared parent BA.5 in its weekly “nocast” estimates. BQ.1 was first named by scientists in early September, based on sequences found in the US and several other countries. , CBS News reported
• BQ.1 variants have already overtaken many competing strains in European countries from England to Germany, which have already seen a wave of new releases. According to the CDC, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 each currently account for an estimated 5.7 percent of infections nationwide.
• Experts noted a “large number of unique mutations” in variants such as BQ.1 and speculated that they may evade immunity from previous infections or vaccinations.
• BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 also appear on track to be overtaken by the only other strain that still outnumbers them: BA 4.6, which currently makes up 12.2% of infections.

What do experts have to say on the new Covid variant?

“When you find a variant like that, you look at what their rate of increase is as a relative proportion of the variant, and this doubles a very troublesome time,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the US president, told CBS News. Also Read – Covid mRNA vaccines increase risk of cardiac-related death in men aged 18-39, here’s how to take care of your heart – see

On the pretext of the troubling new variant, a CDC spokesperson said, “While BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. Representing a small but rapidly growing subset of omicron variants, BA.5 is the dominant lineage in the US.”

“However, little is yet known about how these mutations may affect disease severity, which will require further studies in animals and humans,” the report said.

As China imposes fresh lockdowns and travel restrictions amid the Covid surge, the country has discovered new Omicron sub-variants BF.7 and BA.5.1.7, which are highly infectious with greater transmissibility. Canada also confirmed 20,002 new Covid-19 cases in the week ending October 8, raising concerns about a resurgence, health officials said.