WHO official says Omicron subvariants 'showing signs of immune escape'

The World Health Organisation said this week around 300 subvariants of Omicron were now circulating the globe, with all showing signs of increased transmission and immune evasion.
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove from its Health Emergencies Programme said: “There are millions of cases being reported each week but our surveillance has declined, testing has declined, sequencing has declined and that, in turn, has limited our ability as an organisation, with our expert networks around the world, to assess these.”
The BA.5 Omicron subvariant, which led the UK’s fifth wave in the summer, made up most Covid infections in the week up to 2 October, according to the latest data on the pandemic from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).