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The Ômicron variant of the coronavirus already has a new subtype in circulation. The BA.2 strain is spreading rapidly around the world and has caught the attention of the World Health Organization (WHO), which has issued an alert and asked for priority in investigations into this updated version of the strain.
Ômicron has worried scientists and health authorities for presenting
Risk of reinfection 5.4 times higher and multiply 70 times faster on airways. Furthermore, the variant is able to evade the immune protection provided by existing vaccines and can survive longer on surfaces.
The BA.2 subvariant has a series of genetic alterations in relation to BA.1, including the spike protein, which is used by the virus to infect human cells. These changes make it dangerous, since most current vaccines focus on the spike protein.
Tech 20 Jan
Tech )20 Jan
Due to its genetic alterations, the subvariant has been called a “stealth omicron”, as it is more difficult to identify. BA.1 (original) has a mutation that makes it visible in PCR tests, but BA.2 does not. As a result, genetic sequencing is necessary for the detection of the new version of the strain.
Diagnostic tests, however, continue to be effective: BA.2 can be identified normally. The mutation only makes it difficult to map the prevalence of the strain.
In Denmark, 65% of new coronavirus infections are already from the BA.2 version of Ômicron. According to the Danish health authorities, initial analyzes did not show an increase in the number of hospitalizations for BA.2 compared to BA.1. Apparently, the underlining is not more or less aggressive than the original Ômicron.
Researchers will test the effectiveness of antibodies induced by vaccines against BA.2. There are no published results yet, but it is expected that the immunizers will have a positive effect against severe forms of the disease caused by the subvariant.
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