New Omicron Subvariant BQ.1 Detected In Maharashtra: What You Should Know

According to a state health department bulletin, Coronavirus cases in Maharashtra have increased by 17.7 per cent from last week. In addition, new Covid cases have been reported in the state, including XBB, a new subvariant of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which had been first detected in Kerala.

Additionally, Maharashtra has reported cases of the BA.2.3.20 and BQ.1 subvariants of Omicron, which were detected for the first time in India on Monday [1].

"The bad news is that there's a new variant that's emerging and has qualities or characteristics that could evade some of our interventions. But the somewhat encouraging news is that it's a BA.5 sublineage, so there are almost certainly going to be some cross-protection that you can boost up," said Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to the POTUS.

New Omicron Subvariant BQ.1 Detected: What You Should Know

(1) India detected another Omicron subvariant, BQ.1, in Pune days after detecting the BF.7 subvariant in Gujarat. The BQ.1 variant was detected in the Pune sample during the latest genome sequencing run conducted in October [2].

(2) According to the Maharashtra government, new genetic variants of COVID-19 have emerged - XBB and XBB1. As a result, this week, there has been a 17.7 per cent increase in Coronavirus cases compared to last week [3].

(3) In several countries, XBB, a recombinant lineage between Omicron sublineage BJ.1 and BA.2.75, was observed to have caused an outbreak [4].

(4) BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, the two descendants of Omicron's BA.5 subvariant, possess dangerous properties or characteristics that could evade some of our interventions.

(5) CDC data show the two sublines are responsible for more than 10 per cent of all current U.S. cases, just one week after they were not considered significant enough to be included [5]. The new COVID variant BQ.1 now accounts for 1 in 10 cases nationwide in the US.

(6) Experts expressed concern that the BQ.1 variant's mutations could evade medications, such as an antibody-drug used to protect immunocompromised individuals [6].

(7) Several experts have argued that variants such as BQ.1 could evade immunity derived from prior infections or vaccinations because of the large number of unique mutations they contain.

Currently, little is known about how these mutations might affect the severity of the disease, which would require further research in animals and humans.

On A Final Note...

The Maharashtra health department has urged people to seek medical advice immediately if they experience flu-like symptoms. In addition, it is recommended that those with comorbidities take extra precautions when visiting public places. People suffering from influenza-like illnesses should avoid contact with the public.