Botswana has discovered new sublineages of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, Health Ministry spokesperson Christopher Nyanga said in a statement released on Friday.

Following routine genome sequencing of COVID-19 cases, the sublineages BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 were discovered in the country, he said.

The two subvariants are sublineages of the existing BA.5 Omicron variant, which has been dominant in Botswana for a few months and has additional virus changes, Nyanga said.

Although the two Omicron sublineages are new to Botswana, Nyanga said, they have been dominant in other countries, including in Europe and Asia, since the second half of 2022.

"Scientists are still studying the behavior of these sublineages in order to conclusively determine whether they are more transmissible, more deadly, and whether or not they can evade COVID-19 vaccines," he said.

Residents are encouraged to remain vigilant and take precautionary measures to protect themselves, and those who had influenza-like illnesses are encouraged to seek medical attention and get vaccinated if they have not done so.

As of December 1, Botswana had recorded 326,760 cumulative COVID-19 cases and 2,785 related deaths. About 1.9 million people have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines, with 1.5 million fully vaccinated.