In the UK, some 426 cases have been detected since the new lineage was first designated in December. Although that number may seem small in comparison with the tens of thousand of daily cases of Covid-19 over the last two months, it is thought the real figure of BA.2 will be many times higher because only a fraction of infections are checked for variations.
Even so, while health chiefs will now work round the clock analysing BA.2, there appears little fear that it will cause another wave of infections. Dr Tom Peacock, one of the first virologists to raise the alarm over Omicron, said “Even with slightly higher transmissibility this absolutely is not a Delta to Omicron change, and instead is likely to be slower and more subtle.“That said, I would not be surprised if BA.2 slowly replaces [Omicron] over the coming months with a slightly more "optimised" mutations.': “Very early observations from India and Denmark suggest there is no dramatic difference in severity.
Dr Meera Chand, the UKHSA's Covid incident director, said an altered form of Omicron was not unexpected because, by their very nature, viruses are constantly evolving. She said: “So far there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than BA.1, but data is limited and UKHSA continues to investigate.”TRENDING
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