Maharashtra detects first cases of B.A.4 & B.A.5 Omicron subvariants
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Four patients were detected with the B.A.4 and three with the B.A.5 variants. Health officials said two individuals had travelled to South Africa and Belgium
India's western state of Maharashtra on Saturday reported the first case of B.A.4 and B.A.5 subvariants of the Omicron sub-lineage of coronavirus.
The state health department said all patients were treated at home as they suffered mild symptoms. The health department said seven patients were detected with the Omicron subvariants. All cases were detected in Pune.
Four patients were detected with the B.A.4 and three with the B.A.5 subvariants. Health officials said two individuals had travelled to South Africa and Belgium while three people had travelled to Kerala and Karnataka. A nine-year-old child was also infected, officials informed.
All six adults had taken both doses of the vaccine while one patient had taken the booster shot. The child was unvaccinated.
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Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) had earlier confirmed BA.4 and BA.5 variants in Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
A teenager in Tamil Nadu was detected with the BA.4 variant of Omicron in Tamil Nadu while a male from Telangana had tested positive for the BA.5 variant.
BA.4 and BA.5 were detected in South Africa earlier this year. The Omicron variant has become the dominant strain in the world and has spread to several countries worldwide.
China has been the worst-hit country with the Omicron virus in recent months with financial hub Shanghai recently recovered from a hard lockdown.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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