Topline
The U.K. Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) announced Friday it is investigating a sub-lineage of the omicron coronavirus variant—known as BA.2 and nicknamed by some scientists as “stealth omicron”—that appears to be outpacing other forms of the variant around the world and is raising fears of an even more transmissible strain of the virus.
The UK is monitoring a sub variant of omicron, BA.2
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Key Facts
In a statement Friday, the UKHSA said it has designated BA.2 a “variant under investigation,” the agency told Forbes, confirming news reports and a since-deleted tweet from the agency.
Just 53 samples of BA.2 have been identified in the U.K. by January 10, it said, stressing the numbers were currently very low.
Some scientists have dubbed the sub-lineage “stealth omicron” as its genetic makeup could make it harder to spot using PCR tests.
While cases are low in the U.K., BA.2 accounts for nearly half (45%) of Danish Covid-19 cases, according to Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut (SSI), part of its ministry of health, a jump from just 20% in the last week of 2021.
Early analyses show no differences in hospitalizations compared to BA.1, the dominant omicron form, the SSI said, and added work was still underway to see if BA.2 was more infectious or affected vaccine efficacy.
What To Watch For
A new variant. While currently grouped under omicron, the genetic difference between BA.1 and BA.2 “is greater than the difference between the original variant and the alpha variant,” the SSI said. Such differences could lead to a distinction in behavior like severity or infectiousness, the SSI noted, but said more work needed to be done to find out. “It is expected that vaccines also have an effect against severe illness upon BA.2 infection,” it added.
What We Don’t Know
A lot. Aside from limited evidence on BA.2’s growth in some regions, there is not a lot of data on its behavior, including whether it is better able to evade immunity, causes more severe illness or how much more transmissible it might be over BA.1.
Crucial Quote
While three sub-lineages of omicron have been described around the world—BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3—BA.1 accounts for almost all omicron cases. “However, in Denmark BA.2 is gaining ground,” the SSI warned, noting smaller increases in Britain, Norway and Sweden.
Further Reading
Scientists find ‘stealth’ version of Omicron that may be harder to track (Guardian)
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