Public health experts are monitoring a sub-lineage of the omicron variant.
COVID-19Scientists discovered the sub-lineage, called BA.2, in December, shortly after the original omicron lineage, called BA.1, was identified. Recent spread of the sub-lineage led the U.K. Health Security Agency to designate BA.2 as “under investigation.”
While BA.2 has the potential to take over omicron as the dominant variant in the U.S., it’s too early to tell what impact it will have on the pandemic, said Dr. Wesley Long, medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist.“In the U.S., we have to wait and see what the story is on BA.2 and how it compares to BA.1,” he said. “It’s worth keeping an eye on right now.”
BA.2′s ability to avoid differentiation through that early testing system secured the sub-lineage the nickname of the “stealth” omicron variant. The nickname, however, is a bit of a misnomer, SoRelle said. Because BA.1 and BA.2 are somewhat closely related, it’s possible that people recently infected with omicron will be less likely to become infected with BA.2 in the near future, said Jeremy Kamil, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport.
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