According to state Health Minister M Subramanian, 12 patients in Tamil Nadu tested positive with the novel COVID Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
According to the Minister, 300 samples were forwarded to the Hyderabad-based Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, with 12 of them testing positive for the subvariants.
“Today morning we got info from CDFD that BA.4, and BA5 variants of COVID cases have been detected. So far 4 persons tested BA.4 variant positive while 8 people tested positive for BA.5 variant,” he said on Sunday.
However, Subramanian said that all the patients are healthy and are currently under the Health Secretary’s observation.
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“Union Government officials will announce this information tomorrow. We are also observing the contacts of people who are all tested for new variants of COVID,” he said.
Meanwhile, since the subvariants of Omicron have been seen in India, Dr Tarun Kumar Sahni, an internal medicine and hyperbaric oxygen therapist at Indraprastha Apollo hospital, has explained that the BA.4 and BA.5 sublineages are “mild” because they behave like other COVID-19 mutants.
“The sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 are behaving the same as other mutants of COVID-19 variants. We have observed that it is quite mild. A few months ago, WHO said that BA.4 and BA.5 are variants of concern. The European countries have also recently called it a variant of concern,” Dr Kumar told ANI.
He went on to say that a variety of concern is a mutant that can convert fast and become more dangerous and progressing than other variants.
The health expert also emphasised the need of following COVID-19 standards, which include wearing masks.
BA.4 and BA.5 are Omicron subvariants that are propagating over the world. These were originally reported from South Africa early this year, and have now spread to a number of other nations. These variations have not been linked to increased illness severity or hospitalisation.
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