Botswana discovers new Covid-19 variant

Botswana has said it has discovered a new Covid-19 variant.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness said, “The preliminary finding of this new sub lineage in Botswana has been designated as Omicron BA.9 and BA.5. The four cases are currently being monitored to gather more information about the potential impact on disease spread and severity. The foursome comprise residents and non-residents aged between 30 and 50 years, two being non-residents who had a recent travel history.”

It said that there was no indications yet that this variant was more deadly.

“So far, no conclusions have been made yet, in relation to whether or not, the sub lineage is more deadly and more transmissible, than the known Omicron variant,” the Ministry said. “Similarly, investigations on whether COVID-19 vaccines are effective against this sub lineage are ongoing.”

While the government said there was no need to panic, it is easy to see why it will be of concern as countries have started rolling back on restrictions.