Thailand has detected its first case of the new Omicron BQ.1 subvariant, which experts believe could be highly contagious and resistant to the antibody medications used to protect against COVID-19.
The Center for Medical Genomics at Ramathibodi hospital issued a warning on Oct. 18 about BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, both of which are the descendants of the Omicron BA.5 subvariant.
One case of BQ.1 had been detected in Thailand based on the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID)—an international genomic database for influenza viruses—the center said, without elaborating on the case.
The center cited an update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicating that BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 accounted for more than 11 percent of the current infections in the United States….