A subvariant of omicronwhich according to some studies could be more contagious than the original, has been detected in 57 countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported Tuesday.
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The coronavirus variant Omicron, which spreads and mutates rapidly, has already become globally dominant after first being detected in southern Africa ten weeks ago.
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In its weekly epidemiological bulletin, the WHO explains that this variant, which represents more than 93 percent of all coronavirus samples collected over the past month, has several subvariants: BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3. BA.1 and BA.1.1 – the earliest identified versions – continue to account for more than 96 percent of the omicron sequences uploaded to the global GISAID database.
However, there is a notable increase in the number of cases related to BA.2which has several mutations that differ from the original version, especially in the spike protein that marks the surface of the virus and is essential for entry into human cells.
“To date, 57 countries have submitted sequences designated BA.2 to GISAID,” the WHO stressed, adding that, in some countries, that subvariant now accounted for more than half of the omicron sequences collected.
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The health organization points out that little is still known about the differences between the subvariants and called for studies to be carried out on their characteristics, especially their transmissibility, their ability to evade immune protection and their virulence. Several recent studies suggest that BA.2 is more contagious than the original omicron.
Maria Van Kerkhove, one of the WHO’s top experts on covid, said Tuesday that information on the subvariant was limited, but preliminary data indicated that BA.2 had “a slightly increased growth rate relative to BA.” .one”.
Ómicron generally causes less severe diseases than previous variants of the coronavirus and Van Kerkjove stated that nothing indicated so far that the
subvariant BA.2 presented more severity. AFP
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