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Diseases - General Knowledge Questions
Which Indian state has reported the first case of BA.4 Omicron Variant?
A)
Kerala
B)
Gujarat
C)
Maharashtra
D)
Telangana

Correct Answer : Option (D) - Telangana

The very first confirmed case of the BA.4 Omicron variant in India has been reported from Hyderabad, Telangana, as per the recent data available with the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). The group of genetic laboratories are currently working to identify new variants of SARS-CoV-2 from Indian Covid-19 positive patients. This is first the first time that the BA.4 variant of Omicron has been reported in India.
 
It is important to note that the BA.4 Omicron variant was identified by geneticists from the sample of a Covid positive individual in Hyderabad, which was collected on May 9th, 2022. Since January, both the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of Omicron have been associated with the fifth Covid wave in South Africa, a fresh wave of infections in the US and Europe. 
 
New omicron sublineages, discovered by South African scientists this month, are likely able to evade vaccines and natural immunity from prior infections, the head of gene sequencing units that produced a study on the strains said.
 
As per reports, the BA.4 and BA.5 sublineages appear to be more infectious than the earlier BA.2 lineage, which itself was more infectious than the original omicron variant, said Tulio de Oliveira, the head of the institutes at the universities of KwaZulu-Natal and Stellenbosch, as per Bloomberg report..

Source : Mint

Published On : May 20, 2022
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