NAGPUR: Two patients — a woman aged 54 and a 27-year-old man from Dharampeth zone — have tested positive for Omicron sub-variant BA.5 by SARSCoV2 whole genome sequencing at NEERI lab. The BA.5 is one of the Omicron variants which is causing a surge in different countries and is being closely watched by Indian SarsCov2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). Both the patients are vaccinated and their health is believed to be stable.
These two are the first cases of BA.5 in Vidarbha while the variant has already been reported in Maharashtra recently. The two patients had tested positive in RT-PCR on June 5 and 9 respectively, following their return from Mumbai and Kerala.
