Omicron: GP explains ‘overwhelming’ science behind vaccines
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Known as BA.4 and BA.5, the two sub-lineages of Omicron were first detected in South Africa. Since then, experts have warned that the mutations have quickly “dominated” cases in the country. It has also been detected in Denmark and the UK – with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) dubbing them “variants under concern” in a report on April 8.
The report reads: “Two new variants were identified as part of horizon scanning on April 4, 2022.
“Work is underway to precisely define the phylogeny of these variants.
“These have been designated as lineages BA.4 and BA.5 and classified by the VTG on April 6, 2022, as V-22APR-03 and V-22APR-04, respectively.”
Professor Christina Pagel, from UCL, commented: “Entirely new Omicron variants have been detected in Southern Africa – BA.4 & BA.5.
“Already dominant in South Africa. Quite what this means for us is unclear because we had much bigger BA.2 wave than they did – keep an eye on.”
Cardiologist Professor Eric Topol noted that it shows that Omicron emergence is “still happening”.
He added that there were “unclear” significance.
Professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Guelph, Canada, T. Ryan Gregory, added: “Omicron hasn’t exhausted its antigenic space yet.
“BA.4 and BA.5 now rising. Hybrids like XE too. And remember, Omicron wasn’t derived from Delta and Delta wasn’t derived from Alpha.
“We need to minimise transmission as best we can.”
This comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a warning last week against a new mutant ‘XE’ subvariant of Omicron, that appears to be more transmissible than any strain of the coronavirus.
XE is said to be a combination of both the BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants of Omicron.
Reports from the WHO and UK Health Security Agency suggest that the new variant is 10 percent more transmissible than the BA.2 subvariant, which is already the most contagious.
Following the announcement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he refused to rule out another lockdown.
Mr Johnson suggested that another threatening variant of Covid could trigger a nationwide lockdown, warning that it would be “irresponsible” for any world leader to do so.
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Mr Johnson added that previous lockdowns saved lives and he is “not going to take any option off the table” if a new deadly variant arises.
He told GB News: “I want to avoid any such thing ever happening again.
“And I can’t rule out something… I can’t say that we wouldn’t be forced to do a non-pharmaceutical intervention again of the kind that we did.
“I think it would be irresponsible of any leader, in any democracy to say that they’re going to rule out something that could save a life.
“And I believe that the things that we did, saved lives, there could be…
“I’ve got to be absolutely frank with you, there could be a new variant, more deadly, there could be a variant that affects children badly that we really need to contain.”
Express.co.uk has contacted the UKHSA for a comment and to get an update on the cases in the UK.
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