The Covid-19 Omicron variant continues to be the dominant Variant of Concern in this country.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Roshan Parasram said the Omicron variant, B.1.1.5, has evolved and given rise to many descendant lineages with different mutations.
During Wednesday’s Covid-19 Health Update, Dr. Parasram provided an update on the sub-lineages of the Omicron variants, adding that while BA2 is dominant, two other variants are spreading among the local population.
Dr. Parasram said Variants of Concern such as Omicron are easily transmissible, cause more severe disease, and decrease the effectiveness of vaccines.
He admitted that the BA5 lineage of the Omicron variant does present at least one of these characteristics.
Dr. Parasram said BA5 has been detected in 89 countries as at July 10th, 2022 and is increasing at a higher rate than BA4.