An “invisible” version of the Omicron has been discovered. He could have caused a huge wave of infections in Europe

The new Omicron sub-variant, designated BA.2, attracted the attention of scientists. It was he who could have caused the enormous wave of COVID-19 infections in Europe. According to Danish researchers, BA.2 sub-variant can also be infected after acquiring immunity after being infected, caused by the standard Omikron sub-variant BA.1.

1. The UK reported that a new Omikron variant sub-strain has been detected in over 40 countries
2. BA.2 subvariant may “escape” the RT-PCR assay
3. British scientists suspect that BA.2 could travel much faster than the standard version of the Omikron variant
4. There is no data yet to suggest that it causes more severe disease
5. UK Health Department has classified BA.2 as the “variant under investigation” (variant under investigation), this is the second highest category of “threat” variants
6. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

BA.2 – Omicron sub-variant under the microscope of scientists

The UK Health Security Agency is thoroughly investigating the subline of the Omikron variant. This strain also came under the scrutiny of the Danish institute Statens Serum (SSI).

The sub-variant BA.2 has been described as the “invisible” version of the Omicron. He is ‘suspected’ of causing the recent high spike of COVID-19 infections across Europe. According to the UKHSA BA.2 report, it does not contain a characteristic change called a deletion in the viral spike protein that helps identify Omicron cases in PCR testing. Experts believe that this may be the reason why BA.2 was initially described as a “hidden variant” or misdiagnosed as a Delta variant because it was difficult to detect in testing.

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– This new BA.2 subline is called the “invisible Omicron” because it does not contain a deletion enabling it to be detected by PCR testing. BA.2 appears to be the main Omicron line in some parts of India and the Philippines. There is also evidence that BA.2 cases are starting to exceed BA.1 cases in Denmark, the UK and Germany, said Prof. Sunit K Singh, immunologist, interviewed by India Today.

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The rest of the text is below the video.

According to the World Health Organization, the Omikron variant, denoted by the symbol B.1.1.529, has three sub-strains – BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3. BA.1 dominates (still) among Omicron infections reported worldwide, while BA.2 is spreading much faster.

There are clear genetic similarities between BA.2 and BA.1, but at the same time there are a significant number of different mutations at key sites whereby BA.2 is distinguished as a separate subline. According to SSI, the difference between BA.1 and BA.2 is greater than between the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and the Alpha variant.

Option BA.2 – in which countries has it appeared?

According to UKHSA data, this Omicron sub-variant has been identified in 40 countries. The largest number of cases of BA.2 infection was detected in Denmark – in mid-January it accounted for 45 percent. infections, at the end of December it was 20 percent.

By January 10, according to the agency, at least 2 people had been identified worldwide. 93 BA.2 cases, 53 of which are in UK. The agency also reports infections in Greece, India, Sweden, Norway, Singapore and the Philippines.

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The BA.2 sub-option was also mentioned some time ago by scientists from India and France, warned that it could become more common than BA.1.

Sub-option BA.2 – is it dangerous?

“The steady rise in infections in many countries could be evidence that BA.2 can be more contagious than BA.1,” Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College London, recently tweeted.

Unfortunately, this is where the rationale ends – we do not currently have a solid understanding of antigenicity or severity, nor do we have much evidence of how much greater transmission capacity BA.2 may have compared to BA.1. We can only guess – he added.

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Anders Fomsgaard, a scientist at SSI, also said that “it is not yet clear why the sub-variant is spreading so quickly”. He added that “perhaps he is more resistant to the resistance gained in societies”. According to the expert, a scenario is also possible in which the sub-variant BA.2 may be infected by people who have undergone COVID-19 and obtained immunity against the standard sub-variant BA.1.

Initial SSI studies showed no difference in hospitalization of patients infected with BA.1 and BA.2.

“We do not yet have enough data to conclusively conclude that it may cause more severe disease,” UKHSA’s Meery Chand said.

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