COVID-19 BA4 And BA5 Possibly More Easily Transmitted

UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - Virologist Prof. I Gusti Ngurah Kade Mahardika said that the COVID-19 variants of the Omicron subvariants BA4 and BA5 had the possibility of being more infectious than the previous Omicron variant.

"It is possible that the BA4, BA5 virus is more easily transmitted than Omicron," Mahardika said as quoted by Antara, Thursday, June 23.

This conclusion is based on his research on the molecular characteristics of the BA4 and BA5 subvariants.

However, it said the Omicron variant had a lower risk of symptoms than the Delta variant.

"It has been proven that the Omicron trend is lighter than Delta, except for those who are elderly and comorbid," said this professor at Udayana University.

Mahardika said that people who already have antibodies from the COVID-19 vaccine or have been exposed to COVID-19 are likely to be able to prevent themselves from being exposed to the BA4 and BA5 subvariants.

"Natural antibodies by Omicron as well as by vaccines, it should be effective against these BA4 and BA5," he said.

Even so, the public is asked to continue to take care of themselves because people who have been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 can still be infected and become a source of transmission for others.

He asked the public not to worry but to remain vigilant because an increase in the number of cases could result in an increase in hospital occupancy.

"It shouldn't worry us, but of course, the more cases there are, the more chances are that more people will need to be hospitalized," he said.