A sub-variant of Omicron under surveillance

The Omicron variant, detected for the first time in Southern Africa, with a strong capacity for contagion but a lower severity than the other variants, has rapidly spread throughout the world. According to the latest WHO Sars-Cov 2 coronavirus epidemiological situation conference reported in The Guardian, it would now account for 93% of all Covid-19 cases. Like its predecessors, it has several sub-variants: BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3. And one of them, the BA.2, would have been detected in 57 countries, according to the WHO, which announces, without however drawing any alarm signal, special monitoring as a precautionary measure.

BA.2 sub-variant more contagious than the original Omicron version

In several of these countries, such as Nepal, India or Denmark in particular, the BA.2 sub-variant would even already concern half of the cases of Covid-19. As has always been done when a variant takes on a sudden magnitude, the WHO announces that it has requested studies. The first reported figures, quoted by The Guardian, explain that while it appears to be more transmissible than BA.1, hospitalization figures have not shown a worrying increase.

More likely to infect vaccinees?

Nevertheless, the British media reports that according to the WHO, this sub-variant would be more “more likely to infect vaccinated people, according to a Danish study that analyzed coronavirus infections in more than 8,500 Danish households between December and January. The specialists, however, wanted to emphasize that the vaccines remained effective and that there was nothing to worry about for the moment.

Faced with the evolution of the situation, the WHO wanted to be pragmatic in asking the countries not to declare victory, the evolution of the epidemic being always in progress and sometimes sudden while easing the restrictions with a maintenance of the barrier gestures.