Dr. Stephanie Silvera Comments on New COVID-19 Subvariant

South Africa is seeing another spike in COVID-19 cases, this time from two new omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5. Dr. Stephanie Silvera, Professor in the Public Health Department,
said these new sublineages have been shown to have a “growth advantage.” She expects they will take the place of BA.2, the “stealth” omicron subvariant that is currently the dominant strain in the U.S. and New Jersey.

The BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants “have mutations in the spike receptor binding that may allow for some immune escape,” she said. “Meaning, people who had omicron, BA.1, may not have the same level of immunity, so reinfection might be possible.”

The good news, Dr. Silvera said, is while hospitalizations have risen in South Africa, the country doesn’t have the same vaccination rates as the U.S. And there’s been no significant rise in intensive care admissions or deaths, the South African minister of health noted.

So the subvariants do not appear to cause more severe disease.