New Omicron Variants: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified a number of omicron variants that may fuel resurgent waves of Covid-19 infections as winter progresses. It said it is studying Omicron’s BQ.1 and XBB sublineages and several new variants of the BA.2 family. The UKHSA has also warned that newly emerging BA.2 variants have the potential to drive new waves of COVID-19 infections as laboratory studies show they can partially override existing immunity.Also Read – China imposes fresh lockdowns in some cities as Covid cases rise: Check latest guidelines
“It is not unexpected to see new variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge. Vaccination is our best defense against future Covid-19 waves,” said Meera Chand, UKHSA’s director of clinical and emerging infections, in a statement. Also Read – AstraZeneca Covid vaccine linked to increased risk of blood clots: study
About a week ago, European health authorities said the BQ.1 subvariant and its sublineage BQ.1.1 might drive another wave of Covid infections across the continent later this year, prompting Britain’s health agencies to focus on these new subvariants. Also Read – China started to inject the Covid-19 vaccine by mouth
According to the UK Health Security Agency, BQ.1 subvariants are also gaining ground in the US, where they account for an estimated 16.6% of cases, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Meanwhile, the XBB variant is believed to have contributed to the recent increase in cases in Singapore.
The UK is pushing through a new round of boosters for people aged 50 and over and those with weakened immune systems to prevent a spike in severe Covid disease and deaths over the winter. According to a Bloomberg report, government surveillance data showed an increase in cases since the summer but a decline in the past two weeks.
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