New Omicron Sublineages Discovered by S. African Scientists (3)

South African scientists have discovered two new sublineages of the omicron coronavirus variant, said Tulio de Oliveira, who runs gene-sequencing institutions in the country.

The lineages have been named BA.4 and BA.5, he said by text message and in a series of tweets. Still, de Oliveira said, the lineages have not caused a spike in infections in South Africa and have been found in samples from a number of countries.

“Given the very low infections, hospitalizations and deaths in South Africa we are alerted about the continued evolution but not concerned,” de Oliveira, said by text message. “All of ...