Harder to track BA.2 prompts surges in Europe and Asia
Workers in protective suits prepare a drone amid the snow to disinfect a residential compound under lockdown, following the Covid-19 outbreak in Changchun, Jilin province, China, on March 14 2022. Picture: CHINA DAILY via REUTERS
As with the other variants in the Omicron family, vaccines are less effective against BA.2 than against previous variants like Alpha or the original strain of coronavirus, and protection declines over time. However, according to UK Health Security Agency data, protection is restored by a booster jab, particularly for preventing hospital admissions and death.The rise of BA.2 has been blamed for recent surges in China as well as record infections in Germany and the UK.
Scientists say a possible explanation for the recent rise in BA.2 could be that the global uptick happened at the same time that many countries lifted public health interventions. As such, other US experts such as Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California, said it was “a little too early” to call whether the US too would see a significant BA.2 wave.
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.
Supporting women entrepreneurs: how does SA compare globally?SPONSORED | The latest Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs shows the number of female business owners in SA has grown, despite challenges
Read more »