BELMOPAN, Belize – Less than 24 hours after St. Lucia confirmed the Omicron BA.5 subvariant of the coronavirus had been detected on the island, Belize has become the next CARICOM country to confirm the presence of the subvariant.
The Ministry of Health & Wellness in a statement said recent genomic sequencing of 40 samples dated between June 1st to 28th, this year, has confirmed that 100 per cent of the samples with the Omicron variant.
It said 39 samples were confirmed as the BA.2 subvariant and one sample was confirmed as BA.5.
“The BA.4 and BA.5 are the predominant subvariants circulating in the United States and globally at this time. Persons with these subvariants are presenting varying degrees of symptoms, ranging from runny nose, sore throat, headache, tiredness, cough, body aches and fever. “
The ministry said that there still remains “significant evidence that vaccines protect against severe disease and death from COVID-19. Some research has shown that the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants may evade the protection of “neutralizing antibodies” from previous infection and vaccination by three to four times more than prior variants and subvariants.
“The public is reminded to continue to protect the vulnerable population such as the elderly, pregnant women and persons with underlying medical conditions.”
The ministry said it is recommending that persons get vaccinated and continue to utilize a well-fitted face mask, especially in crowded indoor areas, and practice regular hand washing and sanitization.
Belize has recorded 680 deaths and 65, 508 infections since the first case of the virus was recorded here in March 2020.
