BA.2, the “stealth” variant of omicron that is already present in 40 countries

Last Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that omicron could mean the end of the pandemic. However, it also warns that it is very likely not to be the last variant and that care must be taken.

In recent days, a new variant of omicron called BA.2 has been detected in several countries. The name ‘stealth’ comes because it is able to avoid and sneak away from traditional mutation detection methods. It is undetectable, apparently, in antigen tests. From India they report that it requires fewer hospitalizations. In Denmark and the UK, they have already detected cases of this stealthy omicron.

In Spain, the Ministry of Health has reported 305,432 infections and 253 deaths from coronaviruses since Friday. Spain has already exceeded the nine million infected since the beginning of the pandemic, however, the cumulative incidence to 14 days suffers a decrease of 37 points and stands at 3,381 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

BA.2 was first detected in China, although its origin may lie in India. At the moment, it has been detected in more than 40 countries. Spain has not detected any case of the new coronavirus subvariant. Denmark thinks that stealth omicron could be present in more than 45% of cases.

The omic variant BA.2 is present in countries such as the UK, Sweden, Australia, Canada, Israel, Singapore and grows in France according to the latest data from its health ministry. At the moment, 8,040 cases of omicron BA.2 have been recorded in 40 countries, of which 6,411 have been sequenced.

In India they claim that the virulence of the new stealthy variant of omicron is milder than other variants. The number of mutations accumulating the BA.2 variant is more worrying than its virulence. At the moment more data and tests are needed to determine if the transmission is faster than the original omicron variant.