Thursday, May 5, 2022
Yet another submarine of the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly in the United States and will probably become an influential strain in a few weeks, experts say.
Preliminary research suggests that BA.2.12.1 – a variant of the highly contagious BA.2 submarine – is better able to protect the immune system than previous versions of the coronavirus, but it is not yet clear whether this is the cause of more serious illness. New York Times Report
As of the week ending April 30, BA.2.12.1 was responsible for approximately 36% of all new cases nationwide, according to data from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This compares with 26% in the previous week and 16% in the second week of April.
BA.2.12.1 was first detected in New York State in April and is spreading faster than the first version of Omicron.
“Omicron was more contagious than Delta, which was more contagious than alpha,” said Christa Quinn, director of the Department of Viral Genomics and Surveillance at Louisiana State University. Bar. BA2.12.1 follows that trend, “and that's why it's occupying now, especially in the Northeast,” he explained.
The queen hopes that the growing number of infections caused by the new submarine will spread from northeast to south and then west. “We're already seeing it here in Louisiana,” he noted.
Overall, coronavirus cases reported in the United States have increased by 50% in the last two weeks, according to a Bar Databases, however, the actual number may be much higher because the use of tests at home has increased and those results are often not officially reported. In the last two weeks, COVID-19 hospital admissions have increased by 18% and deaths by 17%.
CDC has started focusing on BA.2 as well as BA.2.12.1. Rochelle Walensky said last week.
“Epidemiologically, it doesn't look like we're seeing more serious diseases in places where there are more cases,” he said. “So we are not expecting any more serious disease from some of these subvarients, but we are actively studying it.”
According to Taj Azarian, a genomic epidemiologist at the University of Central Florida, BA.2.12.1 may well outweigh the body's resistance to disease, but its spread is also being helped by the “great mask”.
“We are at this stage of epidemic fatigue and complacency,” he said Bar. “And while our mental health weights need to be balanced with the risk of contractions, as a result we've seen an increase not only in the Omicron variant but also in other respiratory illnesses.”
More info
Visit US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to learn more about the COVID variant.
Source: New York Times
By Robert Pridt HealthDay Reporter
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