(WHO; 28 Oct 2022)
Globally, from 24 September to 24 October, 99.7% of sequences were the Omicron variant of concern. In the same reporting period, 1.4% of sequences are assigned as recombinants, the majority of which are XBB and its descendent sub-variant XBB.1. Genetic diversification continues and has given rise to 390 Omicron descendent lineages, as well as 48 identified recombinants.
BA.5 descendent lineages remain predominant with a prevalence of 77.1% as of epidemiological week 40, followed by BA.4 descendent lineages with a prevalence of 5.4%. BA.2 descendent lineages have risen in prevalence, accounting for 4.3% of sequences within the same reporting period. The prevalence of BA.1.X is <1% and BA.3.X sequences have not been reported at the global level within the last eight weeks. (Table 1)
As of 25 October 2022, XBB and XBB.1 have been reported by 35 countries with 1453 sequences. BQ.1 and its descendent lineages are reported from 65 countries with 8077 sequences. (Table 1)
Characteristics of Omicron variants are highlighted in Table 2.
Types of Covid19 sub-variants and their documentation places and dates are in tables 3,4 & 5.
Table 1. Relative proportions of SARS-CoV-2 sequences over the last four weeks by specimen collection date.
Table 2. Summary of phenotypic characteristics of the Omicron VOC
All indicated references in the table are available in the original WHO weekly report 42.
Table 3: Previously circulating VOCs
*Includes all descendent lineages.
Pango: Phylogenetic Assignment of Named Global Outbreak.
GISAID: Global Initiative for All Influenza Data.
Nextstrain: A project to harness the scientific and public health potential of pathogen genome data.
Table 4: Currently circulating variants of concern (VOCs)
*Includes BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, BA.5 and descendent lineages. It also includes BA.1/BA.2 circulating recombinant forms such as XE.
Table 5: Omicron subvariants under monitoring (as of 12 October 2022)
# includes descendent lineages.
**additional mutations outside of the spike protein: N:G30-, N:S33F, N:E136D, ORF1a:Q556K, ORF1a:L3829F, ORF1b:Y264H, ORF1b:M1156I, ORF9b:P10F, ORF9b:D16G, ORF9b:M26-, ORF9b:A29I, ORF9b:V30L.
***additional mutation outside the spike protein: ORF1a:S1221L, ORF1a:P1640S, ORF1a:N4060S; ORF1b:G662S; E:T11A.
****additional mutations outside of the spike protein: Mutations: M:D3Y, N:T282I, ORF1a:K47R, ORF1b:G662S, ORF1b:S959P, ORF7a:I110T
$additional mutations outside of the spike protein: E:T11A, ORF1a:K47R, ORF1b:G662S, ORF1b:S959P, ORF8:G8*
§additional mutations outside of the spike protein: ORF1a:T727I, ORF1a:I1714T, ORF1a:M2169V, ORF1a:T2174I, ORF1a:T2648I, ORF1a:A2909V, ORF1a:Q3922R, ORF1b:T1404M, ORF3a:L140F, ORF9b:D89E.