THE HIGHLY contagious COVID-19 Omicron variants have been responsible for an enormous rise in infections worldwide. Different parts of the world have been fighting the dangerous disease of COVID with alarming numbers of infections every year since its emergence.

Omicron is one such hazardous variant of COVID-19 that was discovered and declared as a 'variant of concern' by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It emerged in late 2021 and circulated at intense levels worldwide. The BA.5, BA.4.6, BQ.1, BF.7, BQ.11 ANd XXB are some variants of Omicron that have been spreading the world like fire and have high transmissibility with immune-invasive properties.

BA.5

According to the US Davis Health, BA.5, is one of the dominant variants of the virus in the United States, which has easy transmissibility and the ability to invade the immunity of individuals. Some of the most common symptoms reported of this omicron variant include runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever, fatigue, headaches and muscle pain. However, the covid vaccines have been good protection against this variant. According to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, BA.5 has been a predominant strain of COVID-19 and gets easily spread as it evades the immunity from past COVID-19 infections and vaccinations.

BA 4.6

BA 4.6 is the Omicron variant which is the sublineage of the BA.4 variant. The common symptoms of this variant include loss of smell and taste, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, and chest pain.

BQ.1 and BQ.11

According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, variants BQ.1 and BQ.11 are two descendants of variant BA.5 and are the dominant form of coronavirus in the United States. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the common symptoms of BQ.1 and BQ.11 include fever or chills, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle of body pain, headaches, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, congestion, diarrhoea and nausea.

BF.7

This omicron variant is the most responsible for the current wave of COVID-19 in China. It was reported to spread in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. The common symptoms include congestion, sore throat, cough, fatigue and runny nose which were the most reported.

XXB

XXB is the latest subvariant and recombinant variant formed after BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 combined. This new subvariant of Omicron is immune-evasive. According to an article published in the mint, this subvariant is the most contagious with a rise of cases in densely populated areas of Mumbai and Thane in Maharashtra. XXB has seven mutations on the spike protein and invades the body causing severe infections. The symptoms of XXB are said to be mild with massive mutation structure including cough, cold, fever, body aches and sore throat.

 

(Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment.)