The Health Secretariat of Mato Grosso state has identified a new COVID-19 subvariant, JN 2.5, a variation of Omicron. “This is the first record of the subvariant in Brazil,” the officials noted.
Omicron became the dominant variant in Brazil, replacing the Delta variant, which was prevalent throughout the second half of last year.
There is still not enough evidence to gauge such aspects as severity, transmission, and the effectiveness of existing vaccines, the institute stated.
Brazil is reported to have 6.7 percent of the world’s cases and 11 percent of fatalities, even though Brazilians make up less than three percent of the global population.
The new lineage is more contagious but further research is required to ascertain whether it is more dangerous, Brazil’s Fiocruz Foundation stated.