BQ.1.1

BQ.1 and BQ.1.1

In October 2022, two BA.5 subvariants were found: BQ.1 (or B.1.1.529.5.3.1.1.1.1.1) and BQ.1.1 (or B.1.1.529.5.3.1.1.1.1.1.1). The variants were originally most prevalent in France. As of 17 November 2022, 93% of sequences in France were Omicron sub-lineage BA.5 and among the BA.5 sub-lineages, BQ.1.1 continued to rise (32% vs 25% in the prior week). In November 2022, it was reported in the US that the variants were accounting for 44% of new infections. Early laboratory tests found that these subvariants were better at escaping first and booster vaccines than previous variants. BQ.1 became known as "Typhon", while BQ.1.1 became known as "Cerberus". In March 2025, a hypermutated version of BQ.1.1.1 (BA.5.3.1.1.1.1.1.1.1) was identified in Canada, which bore at least 75 spike protein mutations and 122 mutations overall compared to the Wuhan wildtype virus, a mutation level similar to that of the BA.3.2 variant uncovered in South Africa earlier that year. Researchers were interested in this finding, since the ancestral BQ.1.1 lineage hadn't circulated for at least 2 years by that point.