The BA.2 subvariant, which is more contagious than the currently dominant BA.1 version, will likely become more common, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead said in a statement according to CNBC.
Because BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1, we expect to see more detection of BA.2 around the world, Van Kerkhove said Tuesday during a question-and-answer session live-streamed on WHO’s social media platforms.
The WHO is monitoring BA.2 to see if the subvariant causes an increase in new infections in countries that saw a rapid increase and then a sharp decline in omicron cases, according to Van Kerkhove.
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While research is ongoing, she added that there is no evidence of a difference in the severity of infections caused by either subvariant.
Despite the fact that Omicron spreads faster, it is known to cause milder infections than the Alpha and Delta variants.
Danish researchers discovered that BA.2 is about 1.5 times more transmissible than BA.1, and it is more capable of infecting people who have been vaccinated or even boosted. People who have been fully vaccinated, on the other hand, are less likely to spread it than those who have not been vaccinated.
Van Kerkhove stated that the vaccines continue to be highly effective in preventing severe disease and death, though they do not prevent all infections. She urged people to get immunised and wear masks indoors.
According to the report, Dr Abdi Mahamud, the WHO’s Covid incident manager, it’s unclear whether BA.2 can reinfect people who have previously been infected with BA.1.
The data could have a significant impact on how far the virus can spread. According to a UK study, two-thirds of people who caught Omicron previously had Covid.
Five types of variants have been identified in the last two years: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron. While the first four VOCs were discovered in different parts of the world in 2020, Omicron was discovered in South Africa in November 2021.
