The Omicron BA.2 sub-variant ought to proceed to be thought-about a variant of concern (VOC) and stay classed as a part of the Omicron household of variants, the World Well being Organisation (WHO) has mentioned.

BA.2 has been the topic of curiosity and concern after it began spreading quickly in some international locations earlier this 12 months, regardless of of the broader Omicron wave.

The sub-variant has change into dominant in international locations reminiscent of South Africa and Denmark and has been usually rising as a proportion of sequenced viruses globally, relative to the BA.1 Omicron sub-variant that has accounted for almost all of Omicron instances.

As of February 22, the variant monitoring web site Outbreak.Data, which makes use of knowledge from the virus genome reporting instrument GISAID, confirmed that BA.2 had been detected in a minimum of 80 international locations worldwide and 48 U.S. states, together with Washington, D.C.

As well as, modelling knowledge from the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) suggests BA.2 may have accounted for round 3.8 p.c of sequenced instances within the U.S. between the dates of February 13 and February 19, with Omicron as an entire accounting for, basically, all the remaining 96.2 p.c.

Knowledge means that BA.2 is extra transmissible than the BA.1 Omicron sub-variant that has accounted for almost all of Omicron instances. Knowledge is much less clear relating to its different traits.

This week, it was reported that there have been dozens of instances of individuals in Denmark catching BA.2 after having already caught BA.1 simply weeks prior.

Whereas Danish researchers mentioned this was proof of BA.2's reinfection functionality, the instances remained uncommon and different restricted knowledge means that an infection from BA.1 offers robust safety in opposition to BA.2, the WHO said on Tuesday.

As well as, a examine from Japan made headlines final week after researchers discovered BA.2 could trigger extra extreme illness in hamsters in comparison with BA.1. The researchers mentioned that primarily based on their analysis, BA.2 needs to be given a Greek title and be labeled as a novel variant of concern.

Nevertheless, scientists famous that animal fashions will not be all the time helpful in predicting human outcomes and the WHO has famous that real-world knowledge from South Africa, the U.Ok., and Denmark has proven no reported distinction in severity between BA.2 and BA.1.

In a press release on Tuesday following a gathering by the WHO's Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE), the WHO wrote: "Primarily based on accessible knowledge of transmission, severity, reinfection, diagnostics, therapeutics and impacts of vaccines, the group strengthened that the BA.2 sublineage ought to proceed to be thought-about a variant of concern and that it ought to stay labeled as Omicron.

"The group emphasised that BA.2 ought to proceed to be monitored as a definite sublineage of Omicron by public well being authorities."

COVID test center
A well being employee carries out a COVID take a look at at a drive-through heart in Nootdorp, Netherlands, on January twenty fifth, 2022. The Omicron BA.2 sub-type has been intently studied by researchers just lately.Patrick van Katwijk/Getty