Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Siouxsie Wiles - what we know about BA.4 and BA.5 variants
BA.4 and BA.5 are responsible for a new wave of Covid-19 cases in South Africa. At least one of them has arrived on our shores. So what does the science tell us about these new Omicron variants? While most countries are winding down their testing and sequencing efforts, South Africa has been doing an absolutely stellar job of detecting new Covid-19 virus variants. It was the country that first identified the three original Omicron lineages (BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3) back in November last year. Once other countries started to look, they found Omicron everywhere. BA.1 started the initial global Omicron wave, followed by the more infectious BA.2. In South Africa they only had one large BA.1 wave. Here in New Zealand, BA.1 and BA.2 arrived and seeded into the community very close together, so we had both at the same time – though BA.2 became the dominant lineage. BA.3 never really took off anywhere.
New Zealand Herald - May 4, 2022View the full story here: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-siouxsie-wiles-what-we-know-about-ba4-and-ba5-variants/CQSQI5KK5GZ54MPS5HWSC2XZKA/