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Although the numbers recorded for both variants are currently low, the actual case numbers are likely to be much higher. By the end of June, new weekly cases were up by 32% in Southeast Asia, 33% in Europe and 47% in the region comprising the Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa and the Horn of Africa, the World Health Organization said. The fourth dose: Why is it necessary and is it enough to stop the spike? The first and second Omicron waves peaked in early January and early April. A recent pre-print publication (a publication that has so far not been peer-reviewed) from a Japanese research group found that in lab-based, cell-culture experiments, BA.4/5 was able to replicate more efficiently in the lungs than BA.2. But people who were infected with the original version of the omicron variant during the winter may be susceptible to the newer subvariants. A new version of COVID-19 is dominant in Australia. Balloux said no difference has been observed so far between BA.4 or BA.5 symptoms and those of previous subvariants. This third wave may not be as high as the second for the same reason. The virus is moving in a direction of escaping our vaccines more and more, but it has not found a way to escape the vaccines to a really significant degree, Montefiori said. The more people who are infected, the more likely we are to see new variants. Telehealth video visits and Express Care are also available. "At this stage now, I think all these variants actually are roughly equally transmissible, so theres not a huge difference," he said. Yes. Access, update your COVID-19 vaccine record, According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID tracker, CDC recently released data that showed the risk of death from COVID, sign up to get four free COVID test kits that are mailed to you from the federal government, upgrading your face masks to N95s or KN95s, California Department of Public Health: COVID-19, Centers for Disease Control: Coronavirus (COVID-2019), World Health Organization: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Johns Hopkins real-time dashboard for COVID-2019 cases, long-term cognitive impairment, including dementia, If your illness gets worse, youll want to know so you can take advantage of. Viruses make carbon copies of themselves to reproduce, but they aren't perfect at it. Here's what scientists know about it so. Its not like saying thats going to increase our death rate but it could as secondary infections become harder to manage, she said. Current vaccines still work well to prevent severe illness and death. A study has shown them to be almost six times more infectious than the original Wuhan strain of coronavirus and as infectious as the measles. You will want to notify anyone you were recently in contact with so they can monitor their symptoms and get tested if needed. New mutations give the virus an advantage if they can increase transmissibility: the original Wuhan strain has an R0 of 3.3. Balloux said no difference has been observed so far between BA.4 or BA.5 symptoms and those of previous subvariants. "Given the uncertainty, theres no right or wrong," he said. More than 70,000 new infections and 89 deaths were reported nationwide over the weekend, with Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 now the dominant strains of the virus. You can also reach out to our experts using UC Davis Healths convenient Telehealth Express Carefor urgent needs or extended-hours video visits. COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Australia. These include: Each reinfection also carries with it the risk of long COVID or ongoing COVID symptoms that can last for weeks or months after infection. On May 12, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reclassified BA.4 and BA.5 as variants of concern. The majority of breakthrough infections (people who have been vaccinated or previously had COVID) are not resulting in severe illness. This will inevitably lead to an increase in hospitalisation and deaths. We dont know whats coming next., Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, He is not alone in his concern about the lack of sequencing. BA.1 and BA.2 are pretty different, he said, so the cross-protection is not as great. What do these omicron variants tell us about future COVID-19 strains? 2022UC Regents. The CDC recently released data that showed the risk of death from COVID was four times higher for those over age 50 who had only the first booster, compared with those who had two boosters. The U.K. has not yet followed suit. Learn more from our experts about omicron BA.5 and how you can protect yourself. ET): A previous version of this article misstated which group recommended boosters targeting BA.4 and BA.5. By the end of June, new weekly cases were up by 32 per cent in Southeast Asia, 33 per cent in Europe and 47 per cent in the region comprising the Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa and the Horn of Africa, the World Health Organisation said. "They're taking over, so clearly they're more contagious than earlier variants of omicron," said David Montefiori, a professor at the Human Vaccine Institute at Duke University Medical Center. Aria Bendix is the breaking health reporter for NBC News Digital. In addition, Balloux said, its hard to predict whether BA.5 will still be dominant later this year. Errors creep in that change the genetic blueprint, resulting in a new version of the virus. Prof. Pagel expressed concern that lack of testing and sequencing may mean that variants are not detected early: [I]n England, for instance, we are only really doing PCR tests on hospital admissions [] [and] because admissions are skewed towards older populations, it will take longer for variants to show up if they spread first among children and young people as has been typical so far., These concerns were echoed by Prof. Schaffner, who said that [w]e require a coordinated international surveillance system, and critical to that is the sequencing of viruses. As of June 19, BA.5 accounted for 43% of omicron cases worldwide, while BA.4 accounted for 12%. COVID infections in the United Kingdom (UK) are also showing early signs of a possible rise, driven by BA.4 and BA.5. BA.4/BA.5 appear to be masters at evading immunity. We have waning immunity now in the people who got boosted half a year or more ago, Montefiori said. Doctors say it is vital people get the recommended number of doses to gain maximum protection against existing and emerging variants. Learn more about which masks are best to protect against omicron BA.5. From Monday, Australians over 30 will be able to get a fourth vaccine dose, or second booster. And then, of course, the sequencing is utterly important to pick up that rare event when we would get another rogue strain that could evade the protection of our vaccines, he added. South Africa has seen a rapid increase in positive tests for COVID-19, and authorities believe that BA.4 and BA.5 are responsible. Two new fast-spreading subvariants of Omicron are causing fresh surges of COVID around the world. Latest on the list are the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which were identified recently in South Africa, one of the few countries that are still sequencing large numbers of COVID-19 tests. The coronavirus subvariant known as BA.5 accounted for nearly 54% of the country's Covid cases as of Saturday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People, if they are eligible, should do that. This is compared to surgical masks that reduce the rate of infection by about 60-70%, and greater than 80% for N95s. Health minister responds to mask mandate calls amid warning new Omicron wave just starting. Summer Covid-19 surge may be on the horizon, officials say, three times less sensitive to neutralizing antibodies, account for the majority of new Covid cases, symptoms reported in the U.K. in the spring, Doctor answers your top COVID-19, omicron variant questions. The two subvariants also appear to evade protection from vaccines and previous infections more easily than most of their predecessors. This is the average number of people an initial case infects in a population with no immunity (from vaccines or previous infection). Do I really need to know if I had COVID-19 if its not causing serious illness? Preliminary research from Japan indicates the variants could replicate more efficiently in the lungs than BA.2, and Bennett said this could lead to an increase in lower respiratory tract and secondary infections. Moderna is trialling a vaccine containing mRNA against the original Wuhan strain and Omicron BA.1. Despite what many of us might like to believe, COVID-19 has not gone away. BA.4 And BA.5 Omicron: How Worried Should We Be. Some good news from GAVI the vaccine alliance is that although antibodies from previous Omicron infection do not seem to afford much protection against the new variants, antibodies from vaccination appear to be much more effective. The Food and Drug Administration last week recommended modifying coming booster shots from Pfizer and Moderna to target BA.4 and BA.5 directly. The latest variants are masters at evading immunity meaning previous infection and vaccines are unlikely to provide much protection against catching it. We. The National Institute of Clinical Diseases in South Africa reports that BA.4 and BA.5 are Omicron viruses with a new combination of mutations.. Its always better to know than not [to] know.. The second Omicron wave due to BA.2 was not as high as the first one caused by BA.1, probably because there were so many people infected with BA.1, that the ensuing immunity dampened the second wave down. Get the latest on how to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine, boosters and third doses, and more. Express care services are open Monday Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. At the moment, if anything, Omicron seems to be on the milder side.. We asked experts about the lessons learned and the questions, BA.2.12.1, the descendant of the stealth Omicron subvariant, is quickly gaining ground in the United States. This followed a sharp rise in cases in Portugal, where the Portuguese National Institute of Health estimated on May 8 that BA.5 was responsible for around 37% of all positive cases. The good news is second-generation vaccines are in clinical trials. BA.5 was also detected in South Africa, in February 2022. The more chances coronavirus has to make copies of itself in us the host the more opportunities there are for mutations to occur. How long before I had symptoms was I possibly contagious with omicron? Montefiori estimated that BA.4 and BA.5 are about three times less sensitive to neutralizing antibodies from existing Covid vaccines than the original version of the omicron variant, BA.1. I aim myself to get an additional booster. Most European countries now have them and they look set to overtake other types of COVID soon. This Snapshot Feature weighs up the existing evidence and questions yet to be answered. Omicron BA.5 is more likely to cause less severe illness compared to other variants. "People tend to overestimate actually how much the virus has changed very recently," Balloux said. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have also designated BA.4 and BA.5 as variants of concern. So far, the number of hospitalizations there has increased only slightly. By Elizabeth Daoud and Molly Magennis / World News. Stay vigilant and get vaccinated if you havent already. Current vaccines still work well to prevent severe illness and death. These tests are pretty reliable, but they're not perfect. Most people who test positive with any variant of COVID-19 typically experience some symptoms for a couple weeks. People tend to overestimate actually how much the virus has changed very recently, Balloux said. If you've been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or are having symptoms, at-home tests can give you a good sense of whether or not you have an infection. However, if you were in a situation where people were outside, masked and distanced, the risk of infection is much lower. Yes. BA.4 and BA.5 are expected to become the dominant Covid strains in Australia in the coming weeks. a pre-print publication from South Africa suggests BA.4/5 has a growth advantage over BA.2 similar to the growth advantage of BA.2 over BA.1. Experts said the trends likely indicate that the virus is getting better at reinfecting people and evading vaccine protection. A woman wearing a protective face mask stands outside the international terminal at Sydney airport. Early results are very promising, and likely to give much better protection against BA.4/5. This includes an increased risk for: To protect against omicron BA.5, health experts recommend the following: Since the omicron variant BA.5 is so new, health experts do not have a clear idea how effective the vaccines are in preventing illness. However, the federal government on Monday will move forward on the issue of access to vaccines. People who havelong COVID-19 symptomscan experience health problems for four or more weeks after first being infected,according to the CDC. Medical News Today asked the experts. Although current vaccines are not a perfect fit, they are still the best line of defence. A new version of omicron is dominant in the U.S. Your previous immunity does not protect you from the latest strain. The new genetic versions that keep appearing are called variants. At-home COVID tests, also known as rapid antigen tests, are useful because they provide quick results. But this third Omicron wave along with a very severe flu season will likely see our hospitals struggling even more over the next few weeks. 2 years into the pandemic, what have we learned? For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Still, the future of the pandemic will depend not just on the properties of variants, but also on human behavior and how much immunity has built up in the population. Rather, rises in cases and hospitalizations observed in some places more likely have to do with fading vaccine protection. Francois Balloux, the director of the University College London Genetics Institute, said thats most likely another reason the subvariants have taken over. We havent figured out how to do that yet., What have we learned about the evolution of viral variants after 2 years of COVID-19? Updated versions of vaccines against COVID variants are already being designed and tested. [] Do they have the capacity to produce more severe disease? See the impacts of long COVID in the video player below. A study found BA.4/5 is able to replicate more efficiently in the lungs than BA.2. There is clearly vaccine fatigue out there., He added that [t]he more people we can vaccinate around the world [the more we can] reduce the chance of these rogue variants popping up., Prof. Jonathan Stoye, FRS, principal group leader, and international affairs ambassador at the Francis Crick Institute in London, U.K., agreed: It does not seem unreasonable to ask whether a greater emphasis should not be placed on attempting to provide and deliver a vaccine which can be administered to all the worlds unprotected people, particularly those in lower and middle-income countries.. South Africa had a surge in cases driven by BA.4 and BA.5 this spring, and COVID-19 hospitalisations are rising in the UK. At this stage, we do not know whether any of the Omicron subvariants differ in their ability to cause long Covid. This gap is in place because many infected people still shed virus particles many weeks after recovery. Although current vaccines based on the Wuhan strain will still provide some protection against serious illness and death against BA.4/5, they are unlikely to provide much, if any, protection against infection or symptomatic disease. As weve moved from pandemic phase to endemic, how will we cope? However these are likely to be overestimates, as the calculations didnt take into account immune escape. Should we be concerned about them? Given the uncertainty, theres no right or wrong, he said. What can I do to protect myself and my family from omicron BA.5? BA.4 and BA.5 appear to be able to infect people even if they've recently had other types of Omicron infection. Unfortunately, omicron is so easily spread that even those who are fully vaccinated and boosted may get the illness. They are talked about together because mutations in their spike protein (the bit that latches on to human cells) are identical. IE 11 is not supported. Less than one-third of people surveyed reported fevers, according to data from theZoe COVID Symptom Study, which asks people to self-report their symptoms through smartphone apps. Adrian Esterman is a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of South Australia. The latest Omicron subvariant: What we know so far about BA.2.12.1, What immune imprinting means for the future of COVID-19 vaccines. Reported COVID-19 case numbers have been creeping higher in Australia, and case numbers are on the rise globally. Both appear to be offshoots of BA.2, sharing many identical mutations. For that reason, he added, people eligible for second boosters those over 50 or the immunocompromised may not want to wait. "BA.1 and BA.2 are pretty different," he said, so the cross-protection "is not as great.". In hamster experiments, it developed into more serious illness. If you test positive, then you should isolate. Its important to remember that you may be asymptomatic and not know you are infected but still able to spread COVID-19. File image. We have learned that the [COVID-19-causing variants] are more mutable than we initially thought. And no sooner have we got used to one variant than another appears. Thats consistent with the symptoms reported in the UK earlier in the year, when the BA.2 subvariant was dominant. However, some unfortunate people get a new infection within the 12 weeks, and therefore are not counted. The FDA estimates that omicron-specific boosters from Pfizer and Moderna will become available in early to mid-fall. Montefiori said BA.4 and BA.5 also havent been found to cause more severe disease. Thats not quite the case with BA.4 and BA.5, he said, although he noted another major shift in the viruss evolution could still come. Reinfection is defined as a new infection at least 12 weeks after the first. But experts stressed that there may not be a dramatic difference in protection between additional boosts of the current vaccines and omicron-specific shots. A wave of new infections could lead to more hospitalisations and some more deaths. Mask guidance continues to change, depending on rates of spread within communities, as well as the levels of vaccination and immunity people have from both vaccination and infection. At-home test brands include BinaxNOW and iHealth. Number one: To detect these minor subvariants. Is omicron BA.5 able to spread more easily than other COVID-19 strains? MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. Without sequencing of positive tests, the variants that cause COVID-19 cannot be identified. It is likely that COVID-19, in whatever form, will be with us for some years to come the key question is, can we keep it under control as we try to get life back to normal? (AFP Photo). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you think you've been exposed to COVID-19, please see current testing information. This article was originally published in the Conversation. Deakin University epidemiology chair Catherine Bennett said it was difficult to determine how transmissible the new Omicron variants were due to waning vaccine immunity and differing levels of prior infection. "Its just some are slightly better at infecting people who have been vaccinated or infected by previous variants.".

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