WHO: Omicron sub-variant BA.2 can be of the same severity as the “original”

COPENHAGEN: The BA.2 submutant of the rapidly established Omicron coronavirus variant in Denmark is more infectious than the more common BA.1 and is more likely to infect vaccinated people, a Danish study has found.

The study, which analysed coronavirus infections in more than 8,500 Danish households between December and January, found that people infected with the BA.2 subvariant were roughly 33% more likely to infect others, compared to those infected with BA.1. No

The new BA.2 form of the Omicron mutant coronavirus does not appear to be more serious than the original BA.1 form, a World Health Organization official said on Tuesday.

The vaccine continues to provide similar protection against various forms of Omicron, said Boris Pavlin of the WHO Covid 19 response team at the Dr. Online Briefing.

The comment is issued when subvariant BA.2 begins to replace Omicron’s more common “original” subvariant BA.1 in countries like Denmark.

Based on data from Denmark, the first country where BA.2 overtook BA.1, there appears to be no difference in disease severity, although BA.2 has the potential to replace BA.1 globally, Pavlin added.

The subvariant is already becoming dominant in the Philippines, Nepal, Qatar, India and Denmark, Pavlin said.

He added: “Vaccination is profoundly protective against severe disease, including for Omicron. BA.2 is rapidly replacing BA.1. Its impact is unlikely to be substantial, although more data are needed.”