COVID-19 | INSACOG confirms detection of Omicron BA.4, BA.5 subvariant cases

The two Omicron sub-variant cases have been reported in two patients from Tamil Nadu and Telangana, respectively. Neither have a history of travel and both are fully vaccinated.

Moneycontrol News

May 23, 2022 / 22:57 IST

Representative image.

India's COVID-19 genomic surveillance programme INSACOG on May 23 confirmed the detection of Omicron's BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants in the country.

These cases -- the first Indian cases of BA.4 and BA.5 variants of SARS-CoV-2 -- have been reported in two patients from Tamil Nadu and Telangana, respectively. Both of them are mildly symptomatic as per a statement released by INSACOG.

The statement adds that one of the patients, a 19-year-old female from Tamil Nadu “has been found infected with the BA.4 variant of SARS-CoV-2. The patient has shown only mild clinical symptoms and has been fully vaccinated; she had no travel history”.

The other patient is an 80-year-old male from Telangana; he has tested positive for the BA.5 variant of SARS-CoV-2. The patient has shown only mild clinical symptoms, has been fully vaccinated too and had no travel history either.

Contact tracing of the BA.4 and BA.5 patients is being undertaken as a precautionary measure, the INSACOG has informed.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

Show