What is the BA.2 or “stealth” Omicron subvariant?
The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently monitoring the original Omicron
variant, BA.1, along with several additional subvariants BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3. The subvariant BA.2 has been referred to as “stealth” Omicron because it has genetic mutations that could make it harder to distinguish from the Delta variant using PCR tests as compared to the original version of Omicron.
The
Omicron variant has been classified as a variant of concern by the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The WHO has indicated that since BA.2 is Omicron, it
is a variant of concern.
The Omicron variant spreads more easily than the original
SARS-CoV-2 strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, and previous variants, including Delta. According to Danish scientists, the Omicron subvariant BA.2, is 1.5 times more transmissible than the original Omicron strain. While there is currently no evidence that the BA.2 lineage is more severe than the BA.1 lineage, experts have warned that BA.2 could extend the current wave of COVID-19 infections in the U.S.
What experts are saying about the “stealth” Omicron
In the
Feb. 2, 2022, episode of the COVID-19 Video Update, AMA Director of Science, Medicine and Public Health Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH, said that cases of BA.2 have increased in Denmark, India and in the U.K. and it could drag out the Omicron surge in much of the world.