The “invisible” variant of the Omicron is spreading faster and faster. Does it threaten convalescents?

Scientists around the world are attracting more and more attention to a new Omicron sub-variant known as BA.2, also known as “invisible” or “hidden”. Although so far in most countries affected by the pandemic, the core version of this virus variant is responsible for the highest number of infections — BA.1, a new variety becomes dominant in some regions.

1. The Omikron variant is currently dominant in most countries in the world affected by the pandemic. New versions are being discovered, some more infectious than the basic version
2. One of the recently discovered ones is a close “cousin” of the basic Omikron, called BA.2. It is more difficult to detect with a PCR test because it does not contain a significant change in the protein that facilitates identification in other versions
3. Scientists believe that BA.2 can spread much faster than BA.1. They are now focused on finding out if BA.2 also affects those patients who previously had BA.1
4. More information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page

Scientists in both Europe and the US are on the alert and are trying to find the distinctive features of the virus as soon as possible. harder to detect with tests than its basic version — reports the Reuters Agency. Now the most important thing seems to be to investigate whether people who previously contracted BA.1 have acquired immunity to the ‘hidden’ coronavirus.

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

Several Omikron sub-variants

Globally, the BA.1 variant has so far accounted for 98,8 percent. registered cases of infection reported to the GISAID public virus tracking database. This is as of January 25, 2022. However, several countries have reported an increase in infections with the sub-variant known as BA.2 in recent days. — informed the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition to BA.1 and BA.2, the WHO lists two other Omicron sub-variants, called BA.1.1.529 and BA.3. They are all closely related, but each contain mutations that can change their behavior.

Over 80 percent BA.2 infections in Denmark

Trevor Bedford, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center who tracks the evolution of SARS-CoV-2, tweeted on Friday that BA.2 accounts for around 82% of cases in Denmark, 9% in Great Britain and 8 percent. in United States. This information comes from his analysis of GISAID data and the number of cases from the project «Our World in Data» at the University of Oxford. It also turns out that BA.2 is slowly starting to mark its presence also in some Asian countries, incl. in India and the Philippines.

1. See also: Alpha, Delta, Omikron – who are most threatened by the various COVID-19 variants?

Difficult to detect and more contagious

What is the difference between BA.2 and BA.1? First of all, the question of traceability. According to a UKHSA report, BA.2 does not contain a distinctive change called a deletion in the viral spike protein that helps identify cases of Omicron 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.

As with the other variants, BA.2 infection can be detected with home coronavirus home test kits, although they cannot pinpoint which sub-variant is responsible for the infection — experts cited by the Reuters Agency say.

Scientists’ reports indicate that Sub-variant BA.2 may be even more infectious than the already highly contagious BA.1, but so far there is no evidence that it may be immune to the vaccine. Danish health officials estimate that BA.2 may be 1,5 times more contagious than BA.1, based on preliminary data, although it probably does not cause a more severe course of the disease.

Does BA.1 infection protect against BA.2?

In England, preliminary infection analysis (contact tracing from 27 December 2021 to 11 January 2022) by the UKHSA suggests that household transmission is higher among those infected with BA.2 (13,4%) compared to other Omikron cases (10,3%).

So far, no evidence has been found of a difference in vaccine efficacy against the two variants. — Now, the key question is whether people infected with BA.1 will be protected from BA.2 — said Dr. Egon Ozer, an infectious disease expert at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. — It is too early to know if this will happen.

Also read:

1. The fifth wave is shorter but very intense. Soon even 130 infections daily in Poland
2. The head of the WHO announces the end of the pandemic. Prof. Thing: that doesn’t mean the virus will go away
3. Are we all doomed to be infected with Omicron? WHO responds

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