New Omicron BA.2 offshoot raises its head in the US; accounts for one in five cases
The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron has shown a large number of mutated offshoots. At least 21 viral offspring of the BA.2 have been reported globally, the CNN reported. But except BA.2.12.1, others have mutations of little significance, according to US’ Centre for Disease Control (CDC).
The effect of the new sub-variant BA.2.12.1 is most noticeable in the United States. While BA.2 still is the dominant variant, BA.2.12.1 now accounts for roughly one in five new cases in the US, the CDC said.
The CDC data showed that BA.2.12.1 caused 19 per cent of the new cases in the US last week, up from 11 per cent case a week before and seven per cent a week before that, reports NDTV. The BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 together accounted for an estimated 93 per cent of new COVID-19 cases last week in the US, according to CDC. Most cases with the BA.2.12.1 have been reported from states like New York and Connecticut.
Also read: South Africas latest COVID surge blamed on omicron mutant
Fast-spreading strain
“What we’re seeing right now is a version of the virus that is much more transmissible than previous versions of the virus, perhaps, but also less likely to cause severe disease,” Perry Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, told MedPage Today.
“None of this is odd,” Halkitis said. “What is problematic is the speed with which it seems to be spreading. And the speed with which it seems to be spreading, to me, has…more to do with human behaviour.”
Dr Angela Branche, co-principal investigator of the University of Rochester Medical Centre Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Unit, told US-based Medical News Today: “BA.2 was known to have 53 mutations compared to the original virus, 29 of which were in the spike protein. This led to an increased ability of the virus to transmit from person to person. The BA.2.12.1 subvariant also has this increased ability to replicate and transmit from person to person and seems poised to become the dominant strain in the US over the next few weeks.”
NBC reported that the latest variant is 23 to 27 per cent more transmissible than BA.2. However, there’s currently no evidence to suggest that BA.2.12.1 causes more severe disease, the report further said.
A resurgence in COVID-19 cases in parts of Asia and Europe has raised concerns that another wave could follow in the US.
Public warning
The New York State Department of Health alerted residents of the city last week about the new sub-lineages, warning that they were spreading about 25 per cent faster than BA.2 and were causing Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations to increase.
It also urged New Yorkers to “act swiftly” to consider wearing masks, get booster vaccine doses, get tested if they had symptoms, and seek treatment if infected.