BA.2 COVID variant has 1.5 times the transmissibility of original Omicron: Reports

The sub-variant of Omicron, BA.2, thought to be more contagious than the Omicron variant, is spreading at an alarming rate as per reports. Statens Serum Institut (SSI), which conducts infectious disease surveillance in Denmark suggests that the subvariant is 1.5 times more transmissible than the original Omicron variant, which is also known as BA.1.

As per the reports of CNBC, there are now dozens of cases of BA.2 over nearly half of the United States, with at least 127 known occurrences countrywide as of Friday. The spokesperson of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Kristen Nordlund there is currently no indication that the BA.2 is more severe than the BA.1.

BA.2 surpassed the original omicron as the dominant variant in Denmark

Meanwhile, Director and research strategist at the International Reference Laboratory of mycobacteriology (IRLM) at (SSI), Troels Lillebaek stated that over the course of the last few weeks, BA.2 surpassed the original omicron as the dominant variant in Denmark, according to CNBC. The alterations in the most crucial sections of BA.1 and BA.2 differ significantly. The difference between BA.1 and BA.2 is higher than the difference between the original variant of COVID-19 and the Alpha variant, which was the first major mutation detected. Lillebaek also stated that there is insufficient data to tell whether BA.2 is capable of reinfecting people who have already been infected with the original omicron.

The UK Health Security Agency stated on Friday that BA.2 had a substantial growth advantage over the original Omicron. The organisation further said that the sister variant is spreading quicker than the original Omicron in every part of England, according to CNBC. However, the research indicates that BA.2 does not appear to diminish vaccine efficacy any more than the Omicron variant. A booster dosage was 70% effective at preventing symptomatic sickness from BA.2 two weeks after the shot compared to 63% for the original Omicron variant.

Not been designated as a variant of concern

BA.2 has not been designated as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, WHO officials have frequently cautioned that as Omicron spreads at an unprecedented rate, new variations will continue to emerge. The WHO's COVID-19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove, warned on Tuesday that the next COVID variants would be more transmissible, according to CNBC. Earlier this week, Pfizer and Moderna began clinical studies on Omicron-specific shots, amid rising concern of new variants.

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