The BA.2 variant is related to the original omicron variant (known as BA.1), but researchers are still learning about its properties and what additional risks, if any, it may pose. The new variant is being closely watched in countries like Denmark and India, where cases of the omicron spin off are on the rise. According to a statement from Denmark’s Statens Serum Institute, BA.2 accounts for almost half of all new COVID-19 cases in the country. India’s National Centre for Disease Control said that BA.2 had become the more prevalent strain there. RELATED: Get Up-to-Date COVID-19 News in the Daily Coronavirus Alert Still, experts say BA.2 doesn’t appear to be a cause for additional alarm as of now. “At the moment, what we know about BA.2 is that it is quite contagious, it seems not to produce more severe disease, and that our current vaccines still will provide protection against severe disease and hospitalization,” says William Schaffner, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. “It also seems our current vaccines still will provide protection against severe disease and hospitalization,” he says. A U.K. Health Security Agency report released on January 27 found that current vaccines offer about the same protection against BA.2 as they do against the original omicron variant, with slightly better protection against symptoms, at an average of about 70 percent two weeks after a booster.
BA.2 Has Been Identified in 24 States
So far, the strain has been identified in 54 countries and 24 U.S. states, according to Outbreak.info, a company that tracks worldwide trends in COVID-19 variants. About 100 cases caused by BA.2 have been identified in the United States, as reported by CNN. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates, omicron is likely responsible for 99.9 percent of COVID-19 infections in the week ending January 22. The agency states that BA.2 cases are included in that total.
Is BA.2 a Variant of Concern?
At this point, BA.2 is a variant of interest, but not a variant of concern, says Dr. Schaffner. “Of course, we still are in early days and look forward to more information as it becomes available.” The current variants of concern are alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and omicron. Although the World Health Organization (WH0) hasn’t named BA.2 as a variant of concern, the agency is urging scientists to keep an eye on the variant. “The BA.2 descendant lineage, which differs from BA.1 in some of the mutations, including in the spike protein, is increasing in many countries,” stated the WHO. “Investigations into the characteristics of BA.2, including immune escape properties and virulence, should be prioritized independently (and comparatively) to BA. 1.”
