New coronavirus variant detected by the Ministry of Health in Spain

Ministry of Health announces the detection of a new coronavirus variant in Spain

The Ministry of Health announced today, Thursday, May 5, the detection of a new coronavirus variant in Spain. In its latest report, the Centre for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies highlighted that some sequences corresponding to the new BA.5 mutation of Covid-19 have been detected in recent weeks.

A warning has already been issued by the World Health Organisation regarding the “transmission potential of this variant”, and the risk of it being immune to the current vaccines that are available.

In its epidemiological report, the Ministry of Health explained that “the first studies indicate that previous infection by the BA.1 variant of omicron could offer a minor degree of protection against the new strain that is already circulating in our country”.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the WHO, warned this week that the scientists who identified Omicron at the end of last year have now warned that the two subvariants that have been detected in Spain, the BA. 4 and BA.5, could be responsible for the increase in coronavirus cases in South Africa.

These two new strains of Omicron have also been detected in at least 20 other countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, China, and the United States.

“It is too early to know if these new subvariants can cause more severe disease than other Omicron subvariants, but the first data suggest that vaccination continues to protect against severe disease and death”, added the WHO head.

Health authorities are currently on alert for these new strains. Variants of this BA.5  mutation have been reported at very low levels in Spain, at less than two per cent. This new subvariant of coronavirus joins the XE, detected by epidemiologists last April, which is still present in our country, as reported by sevilla.abc.es.

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