The World Health Organization (WHO) is monitoring two new subvariants of the highly transmissible Omicron strain of coronavirus, to assess whether it is more contagious or dangerous.

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The BA.4 and BA.5 thus become the new ‘watchdog’ variables on a global scale. The World Health Organization said on Monday that BA.1 and BA.2 for their part now dominate the world.

The World Health Organization explained that it began tracking them because of “additional mutations that need further study to understand their impact on the potential for immune evasion”.

“There are thirty mutations with the Omicron variant, so many on the spike protein that unfortunately is one of the main targets of vaccines,” explains Diane Lamarie in her section on Mario Dumont.

Viruses are constantly mutating, but only certain mutations affect their ability to spread, escape immunity acquired through vaccination or infection, or the severity of the disease they cause.

Listen to Genevieve Petersen’s interview with Natalie Grandvaux, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the University of Montreal, On QUB Radio:

BA.2 now accounts for approximately 94% of all sequenced cases and is more transmissible than its siblings, but the evidence to date indicates that it is not likely to cause severe disease.

“We know that there are people who have BA 1 who are able to get BA. 2. The pharmacist notes that there are people who have BA 1, who also got it after a month and a month and a half. There are also groups [hybrides] Like XE, that’s also a concern at the moment.”

According to the World Health Organization, only a few dozen cases of BA.4 and BA.5 have been reported so far.

Britain’s Health Security Agency reported last week that BA.4 was found in South Africa, Denmark, Botswana, Scotland and England from January 10 to March 30, according to reports by several specialized media.

All were BA.5 cases in South Africa last week, but on Monday Botswana’s Ministry of Health said it had identified four cases of BA.4 and BA.5, all among people aged 30 to 50 who had been fully vaccinated and had received BA. mild symptoms;

You can ask Diane Lamarie your questions by writing to her at this address: [email protected]