Throughout all of 2021 and most of 2020, we have been suffering from this pandemic that the world can’t seem to shake off. As we seem to make some progress with cases dropping and fewer hospitalizations, another variant appears. With the Omicron appearing at the end of 2021, the start of 2022 is now faced with the Omicron BA.2, also known as the “Stealth Omicron.”
“You can say they are like brothers in the same family,” says infectious disease expert Cameron Wolfe, comparing BA.2 with Omicron BA.1. “There are some subtle differences, but most of the genetics are the same in both.”
The Omicron BA.2 was originally detected in South Africa, the same place where Omicron BA.1 was detected. But it has rapidly expanded into Asia and Europe. Denmark, for example, is struggling to contain the virus as it is exceeding 40,000 cases a day. And 50% of those cases are from BA.2 from the second week of January, according to Statens Serum Institut. In England and Germany, 5% of new cases are from the BA.2.
The U.S. may be the last to join, but once it does it seems to speed up more rapidly than countries across the globe. Cases of the new variant have already been detected in California, Texas, and Washington. Although cases may not be high, there are growing concerns over its growth over the next month.
The two Omicron variants are very similar, as mentioned by Cameron Wolfe. Emma Hodcroft, epidemiologist at the University of Bern, has also echoed the same sentiments saying that the two variants are “so very much like siblings, in my opinion. Different but obviously related.”
But unfortunately, some of those differences are in how contagious this new variant can be. Although the new variant can be more contagious, “scientists have found that there are no increased risks in going to the hospital if you have BA.2 compared to if you have BA.1” says Peter Chin-Hong from the University of San Francisco. “That could change, but that’s what we know so far,” he added.
Remote learning or more shutdowns are unknown at this point, but there is certainly more pressure in taking the third booster shot. According to data from the U.K., taking the booster shot decreases the chances of having a symptomatic infection by 60-70%.
