Based on current data, BA.4 and BA.5 are evading immunity, which is a great cause for concern.
What We Know So Far About BA.4 and BA.5 Variants
“Among the known Omicron sub-lineages (i.e. BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA3, BA.4, and BA.5), BA.4 and BA.5 are least susceptible to vaccine-elicited neutralizing antibodies,” says Dr. Pei-Yong Shi, MD, Professor, UTMB Chair in Innovations in Molecular Biology. Both variants have their own specific mutations including ones affecting the spike protein of the virus—the part responsible for attaching to human cells and infecting them. These mutations can affect what human cells the virus attaches to best, how easily it infects them and how well the virus is identified by the human immune system, Dr. Michael Blaivas, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Anavasi Diagnostics, explains. Both variants seem to be better at infecting humans than prior variants of Omicron, thus leading to faster-spreading infection. The majority of new infections in the country are now made up of BA.4 and BA.5. As suggested by the mutation impacts described above, according to Dr. Blaivas, infections are spreading faster, infected persons have greater lung symptoms, and people who have been vaccinated and have had infections are getting infected. It’s still worth noting, though, that the majority of vaccinated people are not being hospitalized. The good news is that in South Africa and Portugal infections are starting to slow down and have peaked, without showing an increase in severe disease. Other evidence also suggests that the disease severity is not significantly worse than prior variants.
Symptoms of the new BA.4 and BA.5 Variants
There appear to be no new symptoms from these two variants, but symptoms are more likely to be present because of the variants’ ability to evade the immune system. Neither the symptoms, nor the illness overall, are more serious than prior variants, Dr. Blaivas explains. Symptoms can include:
CoughRunny noseFatigueHeadacheMuscle painShortness of breathLoss of taste and smell
“There is no particular order that symptoms appear in across all infected people and not all symptoms are found in all infected,” says Dr. Blaivas. “In general, when present, significant shortness of breath tends to start after other symptoms have been noted such as cough, congestion and muscle aches.”
How We Can Protect Ourselves
Vaccination is strongly recommended by health experts. “Both variants seem to evade the immune system to some degree, but this is nothing new as we have watched previously infected and immunized people be reinfected multiple times over the last two years, all over the world,” Dr. Blaivas states. “However, that does not mean that there is no benefit to having some immunity to COVID as partial immunity can help keep people out of the hospital and especially the ICU.” Therefore, if you are at risk and not already immunized, vaccination is recommended. One of the most important practical steps to protecting oneself is understanding your risk for being exposed to COVID at any point. It helps to be aware of infection rates in any location you may be visiting. If there’s a high infection rate in your city or you work in close proximity with many people, an N95 mask should be worn at all times when coming into contact with people, and hand sanitizers should be used regularly. If you are in a very low-risk area with almost no infections then precautions may be used more selectively, Dr. Blaivas adds. Dr. Shi agrees. “Vaccine boosters will continue to prevent severe diseases and deaths. Wearing masks in events with a lot of people helps to reduce the risk of Omicron infections.” Next up: Subtle But Scary Symptoms of Long COVID That You Seriously Shouldn’t Ignore
Sources
Dr. Michael Blaivas, Chief Medical Officer at Anavasi DiagnosticsDr. Pei-Yong Shi, Professor, UTMB Chair in Innovations in Molecular Biology
