New Omicron variants are replacing BA.5: WHO
Six new Covid-19 variants have replaced BA.5 as the most dominant globally, with the BQ.1.x variant being the most prevalent of them, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In its Covid-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update issued on Wednesday, the WHO reported that six new Omicron variants account for 72.9% of the prevalence and are replacing BA.5 descendent lineages, which account for 68.4%.
Among these six variants, BQ.1.x is the most prevalent with 42.5%.
“Based on current evidence, there is no indication of increased severity associated with these variants under monitoring compared to the former Omicron lineages,” the WHO said.
Assoc Prof Dr Thira Woratanarat, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medicine, warned that global Covid-19 outbreaks are continuing and remain fatal.
“In Thailand, there are many infections every day and we need to protect ourselves carefully,” he wrote on Facebook. “Covid can cause illness and death, and patients risk long-term illness.”
Thira called for people to take precautions to avoid Covid-19, particularly at festivities where the risk of infection is high.
Many countries are underreporting Covid-19 cases, which makes it difficult to accurately assess the global situation, Thira said.
