E-Paper
Pune reports 10 new cases of BA 2.75; nine new cases of BA.4 & BA.5
PUNE Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 10 new cases of the BA
PUNE Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 10 new cases of the BA.2.75 sub-variant of Omicron with all cases hailing from Pune after processing of the samples in the last week of June and the outcome becoming known this week, as per the latest state health department report. Additionally, the state reported six and three cases of the BA.5 and BA.4 sub-variants of Omicron, respectively with all cases once again hailing from Pune.
The state health department report read, “As per the latest report from BJ Medical in Pune, six patients of BA.5 and three of BA.4 have been found in the state, all from Pune. Apart from these, 10 cases of BA.2.75 have also been found from Pune. All these samples were collected in the period between June 21 and 29 this year. All cases are asymptomatic and have recovered under home isolation. The total tally of BA.4 and BA.5 patients in the state has risen to 73. Their distribution is: 24 in Pune; 34 in Mumbai; four each in Nagpur, Thane and Palghar; and three in Raigad.”
According to Dr Rajesh Karyakarte, head, microbiology department, BJ Medical college, and scientist associated with the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG), as many as 80% of Maharashtra’s Covid cases are BA2 and BA 2.38 - both known to cause mild infection. Dr Karyakarte said that samples of BA.2.75; BA.2.76; and BA.2.74 sub-variants of Omicron have been reported earlier too over the past few days. “At that time, there were no instructions to report the variant and hence, they are being reported now. We have found additional mutations which can escape the immune system. So, patients who have taken both the jabs can also get this infection. But further clinical study of this variant has to be carried out to understand its seriousness,” said Karyakarte.
Experts believe that globally, the BA.2 Omicron lineage has been seen to replace the BA.1 lineage. As the BA.2 lineage, which is largely responsible for the latest spike, is evolving, many sub-lineages of BA.2 are now developing with a set of distinct mutations. A similar sub-lineage of BA.2 is B.2.75.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 3,142 cases with seven fatalities. With this, the state’s overall tally of infections has reached 7,993,051 and the death toll 147,956 according to data provided by the state health department. Earlier on Monday, the state had reported a 50% dip in fresh Covid cases as the state reported 1,515 new infections and three deaths.
