BA.2: Omicron sub-variant detected in 57 countries, says WHO

UN health agency says initial data shows BA.2 is a little more infectious than earlier versions of Omicron.

A recently discovered subvariant of the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus strain has now been detected in 57 countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

In its weekly epidemiological update, the United Nations’ health agency noted on Tuesday that in some countries, the sub-variant now accounts for more than half of all sequenced Omicron cases.

It said little was known yet about the differences between the sub-variants but several studies have suggested that BA.2, also known as the “stealth variant”, was more infectious than the original sub-lineage.

Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and the WHO’s technical lead on the coronavirus pandemic, told reporters that initial data indicated BA.2 had “a slight increase in growth rate over BA.1”, the first version of the Omicron variant.

Van Kerkhove said there was “no indication that there is a change in severity” in the BA.2 sub-variant.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES