- A new variant named BA.4.6 appears to be even more adept at evading the immune system than the dominant BA.5
It was a few days ago that President Joe Biden announced that the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States has ended.
“The pandemic is over,” he said in a televised interview with CBS for the “60 Minutes” show.
However, he noted: “We still have a problem with covid. We are still working a lot on it…, but the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one is wearing a mask. Everyone seems to be in good shape. And that’s why I think it’s changing,” he added.
However, cases continue to be reported in various parts of the country and the world, even a new variant named BA.4.6 seems to be even more adept than the dominant BA.5 at evading the immune system.
This BA.4.6 variant is said to follow from the BA.4 variant of omicron, which was first detected in January this year in South Africa. It also carries a mutation in the spike protein, a protein on the surface of the virus that allows it to enter our cells.
Regarding the symptoms, the health authorities pointed out that they are similar to those of omicron and its other variants, such as fever and chills, cough, muscle aches, fatigue, nasal congestion, headache, among others.
The BA.4.6 has been characterized by having an easier spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which do not rule out that at some point this strain may be the predominant one in the world.