A new Omicron subvariant known as BQ.1.1, first reported in the United Kingdom last month, is now on Thailand's watchlist as the newest fast-spreading coronavirus variant, according to the Center for Medical Genomics at Ramathibodi Hospital.
The centre posted on Facebook that BQ.1.1 has now been reported in 10 other countries, with a total of 78 cases, but not yet in Thailand. It said that twenty-eight new cases were recently recorded by GISAID, the world's Covid-19 database.
According to the centre, the increase in cases in one month means BQ.1.1 could potentially replace BA.5 as the dominant strain.
