Sub-variant BA.2 of the Omicron worries more and more. Is he as dangerous as Delta?

The sub-variant BA.2 of the Omicron is starting to worry scientists more and more. Previous research has shown that BA.2 is more contagious than the original BA.1. Experiments conducted in Japan suggest that it may cause more severe COVID-19, as does Delta. While this study has not yet been reviewed, epidemiologist Eric Fang believes that BA.2 should be considered a variant of concern (VOC). Why? What did the Japanese research show?

1. The Omikron BA.2 sub-variant was first detected in November 2021 in the Philippines. Currently, it is in about 70 countries around the world, including Poland
2. Some studies have shown that BA.2. it may be more contagious than its original BA.1
3. A preliminary, yet to be reviewed, study in Japan also suggests that BA.2 is more pathogenic than BA.1. But this is not the end of the disturbing information. What else did the experiments with the Japanese show? Why do scholars want this sub-option to be considered “the option of concern”?
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Sub-option BA.2. it may be more contagious

We found out about the existence of the Omikron super-variant in November last year. Less than a month later, scientists in the UK identified an “invisible” version of this mutation – today known as BA.2. It is not clear where this sub-variant came from. It is known that it was first detected in the Philippines (November 2021). So far, it has been identified in approximately 69 countries around the world, including Poland. (more on this topic in the article: Two sub-variants of Omikron in Poland. How can they affect the fate of the epidemic?)

Some studies (e.g. from Denmark) have shown that this sub-variant BA.2. The omicron may be more infectious than its original version. Recall that BA.1 became the world’s dominant variant of the coronavirus in just 10 weeks of detection. «If you have been in contact with Omikron BA.2 at home, there is 39% of chance of infection within seven days. With the BA.1 sub-option, the probability in the same circumstances is 29%. » – Frederik Plesner, who leads the Danish survey, informed at the end of January, adding that according to BA.2 data it is 33 percent higher. more contagious than BA.1.

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Sub-variant BA.2 has many secrets for us. One of them is the aforementioned origin (it is possible that this subline may have been present from the very beginning of the Omicron’s existence). On the other hand, we are learning more and more about it. Unfortunately, the latest information is not optimistic.

Further part below the video.

Another worrying piece of information about BA.2. What did the Japanese discover?

BA.2 is more pathogenic (prone to causing severe forms of COVID-19 as well as fatalities) than BA.1, researchers in Japan suspect. The reason for this is the results of the experiment they conducted. The study was published on bioRxiv (presents preliminary versions of scientific publications in the field of biology). The work has not yet been reviewed, so it should not be used as an established piece of information. The results of the work, however, give food for thought.

In the study, researchers infected hamsters with Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants. Animals infected with BA.2 showed more severe disease, greater lung damage, and weight loss. The researchers note, however, that clinical trials are needed to investigate the pathogenicity of the BA.2 subline.

Unfortunately, there are more conclusions that the study has revealed. Experiments by the Japanese also showed that “vaccine-induced humoral immunity does not work against BA.2 as it was with BA.1”. On the other hand, CNN is a reminder of the effectiveness of the booster dose in boosting weakening immunity.

Japanese scientists observed something else: therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (that is, modified proteins that mimic natural antibodies to fight viruses) used to treat people infected with SARS-CoV-2 (also in the Omikron mutation) had little effect on BA.2. The researchers pointed out that BA.2 was ‘almost completely immune’ to monoclonal antibodies such as casirivimab and imdevimab, and was 35 times more resistant to sotrovimab than the original coronavirus variant.

Scientists: BA.2 an option of concern. There are also doubts

«Taken together, our data suggests that BA.2 would be the most worrying variant for global health (…) Currently, both BA.2 and BA.1 are recognized together as Omicrons and are almost indistinguishable. Based on our findings, we propose that BA.2 be considered a worrying option, ”wrote Japanese researchers, stressing that BA.2 should be closely monitored.

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A similar position was expressed by the epidemiologist Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding (he did not participate in the research). “New laboratory experiments from Japan show that BA2 may have characteristics that make it just as capable of causing serious disease as older variants, including Delta!” – wrote on social media underlining that BA.2 requires it to be included in the VOC as soon as possible.

If that happened, the subline would be given its own name (another letter of the Greek alphabet). The researcher also indicated that infection with BA.1 subline creates immunity to this particular subvariant, but not to BA.2. He also pointed out that research shows that there are two versions of BA.2 itself.

Some scientists believe that discoveries in the laboratory do not always reflect what is happening in the real world. An important issue was raised by Dr. Deborah Fuller, a virologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “When there are new variants that may seem more dangerous, we must remember that there are two sides to the story,” he told CNN. The point is that the human immune system is also evolving along with the SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Finally, let us recall that the World Health Organization has repeatedly warned that Omikron is not gentle. «It is less severe than Delta, but we still see a significant number of hospitalizations caused by this variant«.

At the same time, we encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we were talking about breathing. Breathe with your mouth or nose? How To Get Rid Of Bad Breathing Habits? What is breath re-reduction and how does it affect our mental and physical health? You will hear about this and many other aspects of breathing below.

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