Subtype BA.2 "omicron" - a strain of coronavirus can spread faster than other subtypes. This is evidenced by the data of the analysis of the UK Health Agency (UKHSA), published on the portal of the government of the country.
The study was conducted from December 27, 2021 to January 11, 2022.
"Analysis of contact tracing data indicates that transmission is likely to be higher among contacts with BA.2 cases (13.4%) than among contacts with other Omicron cases (10.3%)," the study says.
Doctors note that while the original subtype of the strain - BA.1 - dominates in the UK, and the proportion of cases of BA.2 is small.
A total of 426 confirmed cases of "omicron" subtype BA.2 have been identified, with the earliest dated December 6, 2021. Of this amount, the main part was found in London (146) and in the South-East of the country (97).
“Now we know that BA.2 has an increased propagation rate. This pattern is observed in all regions of England. We also found that BA.2 has a slightly higher re-infection rate than BA.1,” said Susan Hopkins, UKHSA chief medical adviser.
Earlier, the director of the Italian National Research Institute "Spallanzani" (Lazzaro Spallanzani) Francesco Vaia announced the discovery of "omicron-2" - a new variation of the strain, which indicates that the coronavirus infection is changing towards seasonal diseases. He noted that the variant was discovered more than a month ago, but the authorities did not "disturb public opinion because of a variant identical to Omicron-1."
bbabo.Net