Omicron subvariant BA.5 is spreading fast: What to know about the new COVID

A new sub-variant of the omicron variant of COVID-19, known as BA.5, has been discovered in the U.S. and several other countries.

It is both spreading fast and is highly transmissible.

Here is what you need to know about this emerging sub-variant, known as BA.5.

What is BA.5?

The BA.5 sub-variant descends from the original omicron variant of COVID-19, known as BA.1. This original variant is responsible for the highly transmissible strain of COVID-19 that caused coronavirus case numbers to surge in the U.S. and around the world.

According to NBC News, BA.5 accounted for nearly 54% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S, as of July 2.

It is highly transmissible and is “about four times more resistant to antibodies from vaccines than BA.2,” the other dominant subvariant of omicron that dominated case counts around the world just a few months earlier.

Where has BA.5 spread?

BA.5 was first detected in South Africa before spreading to places such as the U.S. and the U.K. this spring, according to The New York Times. It has since become the dominant variant of COVID-19 in the U.S., overtaking BA.2.

Do vaccines work against BA.5?

According to Yale Medicine, the BA.5 subvariant of omicron has a tendency to evade some of the antibodies made after vaccinations and infections.

However, Francois Balloux, the director of the University College London Genetics Institute, told NBC News that if you were infected with the BA.2 variant in the past, you might have some protection against BA.5.

Although BA.5 is more transmissible, it hasn’t been found to cause more disease, according to NBC News.

What are the symptoms of the BA.5 variant?

According to data from the Zoe COVID Symptom Study, which allows people to log their symptoms through their smartphones, people in the U.K. reported the following symptoms:

• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Persistent cough
• Fatigue

Less than one-third of those surveyed also reported having a fever.

How do I protect myself from the BA.5 subvariant?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), get vaccinated if you are 6 months or older and have not gotten your primary series of vaccinations.

If you are 5 years of age or older, the CDC recommends a booster shot, if you are eligible. If you are 50 years or older and have already received your primary booster at least four months ago, the CDC recommends a second booster shot if eligible.

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