Now a new variant of Omicron has emerged up which is called BA.2, it is a sub-variant of Omicron and it is more prevalent in India, Denmark, the UK, Sweden and many other countries.
The latest variant of COVID-19 called Omicron, which is also referred to as B.1.1.529, has three main substrains, BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Up until now, it has been BA.1 that has been dominating with the WHO estimating it makes up a large majority of all Omicron cases. However, in some places, the BA.2 has reportedly begun to spread faster.
At least 400 people have been infected with it during the first 10 days of January in the UK. And it has already been detected in more than 40 other countries worldwide.
The UK health security agency (UKHSA) has classified it as a variant under survelliance.
The PANGO directory of coronaviruses, which is regularly updated by scientists from the universities of Oxford, Edinburgh and Cambridge, lists Denmark as the most affected area, with 79% of the cases detected so far.
It is followed by Great Britain (6%), India (5%), Sweden (2%) and Singapore (2%). However, it should be noted that detection of the subtype depends on the ability of individual health systems to sequence PCR tests.
What do you know about the virus?
BA.2 has lot of mutations. “It is the nature of viruses to evolve and mutate, so it’s to be expected that we will continue to see new variants emerge as the pandemic goes on,” said Meera Chand, incident director at UKHSA. “Our continued genomic surveillance allows us to detect them and assess whether they are significant.”
For subtype BA.2, that analysis is still underway.
“So far, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than omicron BA.1,” Chand said.
Health Agencies are concerned
The World Health organisation (WHO) classifies Omicron overall a variant of concern. Given its rise in some countries, the agency say investigations, of BA. 2 should be prioritized.
The UK health agency has designated BA.2 a variant under investigation, citing number of cases found in UK. The original version of Omicron remains dominant in UK.
Protect yourself from the virus
As per the doctors advise, you should get vaccinated, follow Covid protocols like wearing masks, avoiding crowds and staying at home when not required.
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