Omicron BA.5 COVID Variant Becomes Dominant in Germany

In Germany, the Omicron sub-lineage BA.5 has become the dominant COVID-19 variant, which accounts for around half of the infections.

In Germany, the Omicron sub-lineage BA.5 has become the dominant COVID-19 variant.

The COVID variant accounts for around half of the infections, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases.

Omicron Variant of COVID-19
Omicron variant is a mutated strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) with faster transmissibility and enhanced virulence compared to the original COVID-19 virus.

‘The strong increase in the share of this variant has continued together with BA.4 and BA.2.12.1.’

With the increasing spread of these more contagious variants, a "rebound in infection numbers" was also observed, reports Xinhua News Agency.

Daily infections continued to rise as 108,190 new cases were registered in the last 24 hours, according to the RKI.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach is supporting expert demands to vaccinate or booster 40 million people before winter. "BA.5 is not harmless. In winter we must be very well prepared, otherwise chaos is looming," he said on Twitter.

Omicron BA.5 Variant

Lauterbach will present the country’s COVID-19 health measures for the coming fall after examining the results of an expert report on the effectiveness of past measures, which is set to be completed in early July.

Test your Knowledge on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Coronavirus is a large positive-strand RNA virus that is surrounded by a protein envelope. The virus obtains its name from the S protein spikes on its surface, which resemble a crown. The overall pattern of increasing coronavirus cases is shown to spike up with the “second wave” of COVID-19.

With spiking effects of the second wave of coronavirus, the best way to keep it at bay is to follow COVID-appropriate safety practices like wearing a mask, regularly cleaning your hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue along with physical distancing (6 feet about 2 arm's length), that may help evade the severity of COVID-19 infection.

Although businesses in Germany are supporting to prepare in time, specific measures in fall and winter should be carefully evaluated, the German Retail Federation said earlier this week.

Long COVID Risk from Omicron Lesser Than Delta
The risk of long COVID is lower from Omicron compared to Delta variant. Long COVID as having new or ongoing symptoms four weeks or more after disease start.

To avoid last year’s shortfalls, Germany is procuring a wide range of vaccines. These include vaccines adapted to the Omicron variant, the Ministry of Health said.

In addition, "vaccination gaps are to be closed".

Omicron Strains may Drive New COVID Wave
An uptick in COVID cases is driven by Omicron sub-variants BA.4, BA.5. BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron are not thought to be any more lethal than other types of COVID.

Of the 69.4 million adults in Germany aged 18 and over, around 85% are vaccinated against COVID-19. Almost 72% have received one booster vaccination, while 8% have already received two booster doses, according to official figures.

Although Germany was one of the last countries in the European Union (EU) to drop restrictions for travelers entering from another EU member state, most restrictions on public life have now been lifted.

Source-IANS