Izah Azahari
No cases of the new Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 have been detected in Brunei Darussalam, said Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar at the daily press conference yesterday.
“The sub-variants do not show worse effects in symptoms when compared with the previous BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants,” the minister said, adding that the previous BA.2 sub-variant is the most prevalent in the Sultanate.
Neighbouring countries have recently detected the new Omicron sub-variants, which have also gone widespread in the West, showing a slightly faster rate in spreading compared to the previous sub-variants.
The minister said the government is monitoring the situation through genomic sequencing, adding that although reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) swab testings have decreased, it is still being carried out.
“If there are any positive cases found with the right amount of CT-Value, then the genomic sequencing can be carried out. On average, since the beginning of the year, we have sequenced 800 to 1,000 cases from RT-PCR tests,” said the minister.
