The mutated version of the omicron Covid variant—known as BA.2 and termed “stealth omicron” by some scientists—has been found in 57 countries, according to the World Health Organization, which said early data indicates it is more infectious than other versions of omicron. ... [+]Over the last six weeks, the BA.2 subvariant has overtaken the “original” omicron strain, BA.
Though BA.1 still makes up more than 96% of sequenced omicron cases, BA.2 accounts for more than half of the sequenced omicron cases in some countries, the agency said in its weekly epidemiological report. indicates BA.2 is more infectious than the more common BA.1. reporters there was “no indication that there is a change in severity” with the BA.2 subvariant.
The health agency said investigations into the characteristics of BA.2—including transmissibility and its ability to escape immune defenses—should be “prioritized independently” to BA.1, stressing it is important to consider how common BA.2 is in the context of how many Covid cases there are. Since omicron was first identified last November, several virus lineages have been identified under the omicron banner, the WHO said. The subvariants—including BA.1, BA.1.1 , BA.2, and BA.
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