A Rapid Surge of the Omicron Variant’s Sublineages BQ.1/BQ.1.1

Abstract

A plethora of novel Omicron subvariants, such as BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BA.4.6, BF.7, and BA.2.75.2 apart from BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4 and BA.5, have appeared as a result of the ongoing evolution of the most mutated strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)1–3. The prevalence of novel immune-evading coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) variants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 has rapidly increased in England, with the incidence of cases virtually tripling in the previous week alone. BQ.1 currently accounts for over 10% of all coronavirus cases in the England, while BQ.1.1 accounts for more than 3% for a total of 13.3%, in accordance with the most current statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA. Recent data showed that the number of COVID-19 cases had practically doubled at that point, which can be associated with the emergence of BQ.1/BQ.1.1. The increase in BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 instances is broadly consistent with what is happening across the rest of the England, where cases increased above the 15% from 10%. Additionally, the COVID-19 cases in the New York increased from 20 to 28% owing to the BQ.1/BQ.1.1 sublineages of the Omicron variant. Importantly, BQ.1.1, and BQ.1 subvariants have not shown any indications of increased severity, although it is quite early to provide any concrete statements regarding their infectiousness and transmissibility.