SINGAPORE: Singapore confirmed four cases of the BQ.1 and BQ1.1 Omicron subvariants as of Sunday (Oct 23), all of whom were imported infections, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.
None of the cases were hospitalised, the ministry added in response to CNA’s queries on Wednesday.
BQ.1 and BQ1.1 are sub-lineages of the Omicron variant BA.5, and were first detected in July in Nigeria. The strains have since been detected in more than 50 countries.
“While both currently comprise a small proportion of COVID-19 cases globally, the number of BQ.1/BQ.1.1 cases has recently been rising in parts of Europe and North America,” MOH said.
“Observations from those countries suggest that BQ.1/BQ.1.1 are possibly more transmissible than previous BA.5 sub-lineages, but there is currently no evidence that they cause more severe illness.”