Indian scientists claim: Omicron’s sub-variant is causing havoc in the country, fighting with Delta

After the Delta variant in the second wave of Corona, now Omicron has caused havoc in India in the third wave. More than 1 lakh cases of corona virus were reported on Monday for the fifth consecutive day. According to scientists of the Department of Biotechnology (INSACOG) working on genome sequencing of Kovid-positive clinical samples, Omicron’s sub-variant BA.1 is responsible. It is infecting people together with Delta.

First know, what are sub-variants?

Sub-variants are, in a sense, members of the family of the original variant of the virus. Simply put, Omicron (B.1.1.529) is a parent variant of the coronavirus, which has three sub-variants – BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3. Like Omicron, these also work to spread the infection rapidly among people.

All variants of Omicron are heavy on India

The reason for the rapid spread of corona infection in the country 4-5 times is due to the BA.1 sub-variant. Speaking to The Times of India, INSACOG scientists said that genome sequencing of clinical samples showed more presence of BA.1 than the original Omicron variant. Since BA.1 is a member of the Omicron family, such cases are also considered Omicron positive.

At present, in Maharashtra and other states which have been hit by Corona, BA.1 is attacking people in association with the Delta variant. The BA.2 sub-variant has also been found in genome sequencing of some samples. According to scientists, no case of BA.3 has been reported in India so far.

Omicron is a worrying variant

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Omicron’s BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants are spreading simultaneously around the world. The new variant, first detected in South Africa on 24 November, has spread to more than 110 countries so far. On 26 November, WHO declared Omicron as a ‘Variant of Concern’. Prior to this, the Delta was considered a worrying variant. During the last 24 hours, 1 lakh 67 thousand 550 new cases of corona have been found in India.