Moscow registers 5 cases of Covid-19 subvariant 'Centaurus'

MOSCOW: Five cases of the Covid-19 subvariant Omicron BA.2.75, or "Centaurus," have been detected in Moscow, the country's consumer rights and human well-being watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has said.

"Five genomic sequences assigned to the BA.2.75 subvariant of the Omicron strain have been added to the VGARus (Virus Genome Aggregator of Russia) database," it was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Rospotrebnadzor said the samples were taken in July in Moscow, adding the patients all have a mild form of the virus and have not been hospitalized.

"Centaurus" was first detected in May in India and is believed to be highly transmissible.