New Omicron sub-variants are causing Covid-19 cases to rocket in South Africa again.
Infections caused by BA. 4 and BA. 5 have surged in recent weeks, with the country officially entering its fifth wave of the pandemic earlier this week.
So what is different about the Omicron cousins, and should the world be worried?
The National explains.
How long have BA. 4 and 5 been around?
Experts in South Africa think BA. 4 and 5 emerged in mid-December and early January. In February they made up a tiny percentage of Omicron samples in South Africa, at just 0.34 per cent and 0.08 per cent respectively. At the time, BA. 2 dominated. By March, they had reached 14 per cent, and in April BA. 4 and 5 accounted for almost half, at 44 per cent.
Cases, and positivity rates, began climbing again in April as they took hold, following the steep fall after the end of the country’s large BA. 1 wave.
And they have been growing quickly.
On Thursday, the country recorded more than 6,300 new cases with a 21 per cent positivity rate.
That compared to around 4,400 cases with a 15.8 per cent positivity rate a week previously.
The latest numbers are the highest in almost three months and significantly more than two weeks ago.
Why are they causing infections to rise again in South Africa?
Professor Tulio de Oliveira, one of several scientists at South Africa's University of KwaZulu-Natal who first identified the Omicron variant, said BA. 4 and 5 share a similar spike to BA. 2, which is now dominant globally. But they have four additional mutations.
Of those, F486V shows the biggest potential for immune escape, experts said.
“F486V will further erode neutralisation of Omicron by current vaccines,” tweeted Jesse Bloom, a virologist Jesse Bloom at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle.
“In other words, Omicron BA. 1 and BA. 2 had already escaped a lot of neutralising antibodies elicited by current vaccines/early infections.
“F486V in BA. 4 and BA. 5 will escape a chunk of the remaining antibodies that still neutralise Omicron variants.”
He said that applies only to people who have antibodies from vaccines and pre-Omicron infections.
People who have been infected by BA. 1 and BA. 2 will probably react better to BA. 4 and 5, he said.
Have they been found anywhere else?
Yes. The variants are also present in more than 20 countries, including Botswana, Belgium, Germany, Denmark and the UK. These countries have good surveillance and sequencing systems, like South Africa. These are capable of detecting new variants early, so it is likely these variants are in many other countries too.
Will BA. 4 and 5 cause another wave of hospital admissions?
Ridhwaan Suliman, a researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, a government research institute, tweeted that hospital admissions in South Africa have risen by more than 10 per cent recently. But he cautioned that was from a low base.
He told radio 702 in South Africa it was unlikely that the fifth wave, fuelled by BA. 4 and 5, will be coupled with high hospital admissions or deaths.
Hospital admissions and deaths fell during the fourth wave after the emergence of Omicron, he said.
“There's no indication to expect anything different at this stage,” Dr Suliman told the radio station.
Fellow South African scientist Professor Oliveira does not expect the fifth wave to cause a surge in hospitalisations and deaths in the country, either.
“Our main scenario for Omicron BA. 4 and BA. 5 is that it increases infections but that does not translate into large hospitalisations and deaths,” he tweeted.
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
Sunday's games
Liverpool v West Ham United, 4.30pm (UAE)
Southampton v Burnley, 4.30pm
Arsenal v Manchester City, 7pm
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
57%20Seconds
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
