A recent Japanese laboratory study indicates that the omicron subvariant ba.2 may cause more serious diseases than the previously identified ba.1, World Health Organization (WHO) officials reported. There is evidence that stealth omicrons can cause serious infections in hamsters, but studies between humans show that the level of severity is similar for both subtypes. However, speaking about further Japanese lab studies, the WHO official said, these studies are very important in looking for signs of severity.
The Japanese study looking at the effects of Omicron ba.2 on hamsters was trying to find out if there were any signs of serious illness. Now, these studies are too important to be done. And, this preprint suggests that BA.2 can cause serious illness in hamsters, said Maria Van Kerkhove of the WHO.
However, looking for signs of severity in humans, in terms of increased risk of hospitalization in people infected with BA.2 compared to BA.1, it is observed that we are not seeing a greater severity in humans Huh. The official said both sub-types cause a similar level of severity.
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Three things the Japanese lab study said on Omicron BA.2
There are three important things about the subvariant ba, 2, also known as stealth omicron, that the Japanese team has identified – ba.2 may have characteristics that enable it to cause severe disease. , it shows the same immunity-avoiding properties as the sub-variant. BA.1. In addition the stealth is resistant to treatments such as Omicron monoclonal antibodies.
The researchers said that although BA.2 is considered to be an Omicron variant, its genomic sequence is very different from that of BA.1. “And, this suggests that the virological characteristics of BA.2 are different from those of BA.1,” he said.
The World Health Organization previously warned that BA.2 is growing faster than a previously identified strain. And if there is one more omicron wave, we can see more transitions of BA.2.
The WHO also reported that all other coronavirus cases, including alpha, beta and delta, continue to decline globally as Omicron knocks them out. Meanwhile, subvariant BA.2 appears to be “continuously increasing” and its prevalence has increased in South Africa, Denmark, the UK and other countries.
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