BA.4.6, a subvariant of the omicron COVID-19 variant which has been quickly spreading in the US. The subvariant's spread has now been confirmed in the UK as well. In US, the subvariant accounts for over 9 per cent of recent cases, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said.
In UK, the subvariant accounted for 3.3 per cent samples in August which has increased to 9 per cent since, UK Health Security Agency said.
It is not entirely clear how BA.4.6 has emerged, but it's possible it could be a recombinant variant.https://t.co/LZgsBgzoq2
— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) September 14, 2022
Here's what we know about the subvariant omicron BA.4.6 so far:
1. BA.4.6 is a descendant of the BA.4 variant of omicron which was first detected in January 2022 in South Africa.
2. The subvariant could be recombinant in nature.
3. The subvariant is said to be similar to BA.4 as it carries a mutation- R346T- to the spike protein.
4. As omicron infections are usually less severe in nature than earlier variants, the same is expected of the subvariant BA.4.6 as well.
5. As omicron subvariants, BA.4.6 is also more transmissible in nature, a yet to be peer-reviewed study noted.
6. UK health agency indicated that the subvariant BA.4.6 replicates more quickly in the early stages of infection.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
