The new Omicron variant BA.2 has been confirmed in wastewater testing in Santa Clara County. The highest concentrations of the variant were in Palo Alto and Gilroy.
”We see that BA.2 is likely replacing BA.1, which was the original Omicron virus that was infecting the population here,” said Alexandria Böhm, a Stanford Professor of Environmental Engineering involved in wastewater surveillance.The news comes at a time when two-year old protections such as mask mandates are being lifted and people are gathering again, often indoors.
That’s a concern for health officials because BA.2 is even more transmissible than previous variants. ”It is at least 30 percent more transmissible, maybe even more, as high as 50 percent. It means that whatever strategies you’ve used to escape being infected may not work with BA.2,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong of UCSF.Dr. Chin-Hong says the data shows that, so far, BA.2 is not causing people to get sicker and need hospitalizations.
Presence of the variant in wastewater surveillance is usually two weeks ahead of when clinical cases would show up, so the full impact the variant is yet to come as the pandemic enters its third year.”It’s definitely not over. We will continue to see ups and downs until a time when it’s just in the background. But we’re not there yet,” Chin-Hong said.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Health Experts Predict Uptick in U.S. Covid Cases Due to New BA.2 VariantOfficials say the new BA.2 Covid variant is about 50% to 60% more transmissible than omicron, but it does not appear to be more severe.
Read more »
Fauci says uptick in COVID cases likely following rise in Europe, warns 'this virus has fooled us before'The BA.2 subvariant of the omicron variant of the coronavirus will probably cause an uptick in U.S. cases similar to the one currently occurring in Europe, Dr. Fauci said.
Read more »
China Reports First COVID Deaths In a YearChina reported its first COVID-related in more than a year on Saturday, as infections caused by the Omicron subvariant continued to mount.
Read more »
BA-2 subvariant of Omicron COVID-19 strand makes up 1/3 of new casesAmerica's top doctor warns of the spreading COVID-19 subvariant as many states roll back pandemic restrictions.
Read more »
What Experts Are Watching for Amid ‘Heightened Alert' Over BA.2Health experts say they are paying close attention to the BA.2 variant over the next few weeks as they wait to see if another COVID surge will arise.
Read more »