The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced on January 21 that it is monitoring a sublineage of the Omicron variant, stating that it may have a rapid development.
The BA.2 strain is under investigation but has not yet been classified as a variant of concern.
The UK has identified the genetic sequence of 426 BA.2 infections. UKHSA indicated that while the significance of the changes in the virus’s genome remains uncertain, initial analysis suggests an increased growth rate compared to the original Omicron strain, BA.1, according to Reuters.
UKHSA reported that 40 countries have documented BA.2 cases, with the majority in Denmark, India, the UK, Sweden, and Singapore.
Decoding the virus’s genome at the Covid-19 Genomics UK laboratory in Cambridge, England, on March 12, 2021. (Photo: Reuters).
In Denmark, BA.2 has rapidly increased, accounting for 20% of total Covid-19 cases in the last week of 2021, rising to 45% by the second week of 2022.
Anders Fomsgaard, a researcher at the Statens Serum Institute (SSI), stated that he does not yet have a precise explanation for the rapid development of this sublineage.
“It is possible that this variant is evading community immunity, which allows it to spread more easily. We do not yet know,” he told TV 2, adding that it is possible that those infected with BA.1 are not immune and could be infected with BA.2 shortly afterward.
“That is a possibility. We may experience two peaks of this outbreak,” he predicted.
Initial analysis conducted by SSI in Denmark showed no difference in hospitalization rates between BA.2 and BA.1.
Dr. Meera Chand, Director of Incident Response at UKHSA, stated: “The nature of viruses is to evolve and mutate, so we can expect to continue witnessing new variants emerging.”
“Ongoing genetic surveillance allows us to detect them and assess whether they are of concern,” she added.
