What are the differences between omicron and BA.2?
4:14
(CNN Spanish) --
Scientists announced in January that BA.2 is a version of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Since the announcement, researchers have been trying to identify whether this version causes more severe disease than other variants.
So far, it is known to be at least one and a half times more infectious than omicron.
In this episode, Dr. Elmer Huerta talks about the data we know about the BA.2 version of the new coronavirus.
You can listen to this episode on Spotify or your favorite podcast
platform
, or read the transcript below.
Hello, I am Dr. Elmer Huerta and this is your dose of information about the new coronavirus, information that we hope will be useful to take care of your health and that of your family.
The appearance of BA.2, a version of the omicron variant
In the last days of January, the presence of a new variant of the new coronavirus, the so-called BA.2, was announced.
Today we will see what is known about this new member of the family of SARS CoV2 variants.
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The appearance of new variants of the new coronavirus is something that was expected.
Various experts have assured that, as long as massive infections occur in the population, and vaccination coverage does not rise, the risk of variants forming is an indisputable reality.
It is in this context that it was reported that a new variant, belonging to the family of the omicron variant, has been identified since the beginning of December.
It is already present in 49 countries, and has become the dominant variant in Denmark since the second week of January.
It is also already dominant in South Africa and India.
The possibility of identifying this new variant depends on the genomic sequencing capacity of the countries.
Denmark is one of the highest surveillance countries on the planet.
At the time of writing this episode, it has already been found in at least 20 US states, accounting for less than 1% of covid-19 cases.
WHO: BA.2 is not variant of interest or concern
According to information from the World Health Organization, this new variant is a descendant of the omicron variant, from which it differs in some mutations in the spike.
By way of illustration, the scientific name of the omicron variant is BA.1, and that of the new variant is BA.2.
The new variant can be identified with the PCR or antigen tests used to diagnose current variants.
In this regard, the WHO does not yet consider it a variant of interest or concern, and says that research on the characteristics of this new variant, including its ability to mock antibodies and its virulence, that is, to know if it causes a disease more aggressive, should be prioritized independently, and should be compared with omicron.
In the UK, BA.2 has been considered a variant under investigation.
Despite its recent identification, initial data from the Statens Serum Insitut, an organization sponsored by the Danish Ministry of Health, indicates that the BA.2 variant is one and a half times more infectious than the omicron variant, although its virulence is still unknown.
Similarly, it is still early to know if the current vaccines are active against BA.2, although a report from the United Kingdom reveals that, as against the other variants, the vaccines are expected to give 70% protection against the development of symptomatic disease after a booster dose.
In short, in addition to being attentive to the news about BA.2, we must do everything possible to avoid infection.
The more infections occur, the greater the chance the virus is given to develop new mutations.
Do you have questions about covid-19?
Send me your questions on Twitter, we'll try to answer them in our next episodes.
You can find me at @Drhuerta.
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Thanks for your attention.
coronavirusCovid-19InstaNoticiasómicron
