Omicron’s sub-variant BA.2 has taken Denmark in its grip. In a recent research, Danish scientists have reported that the first sub variant of BA.2 Omicron is 33% more infectious than BA.1 and is increasingly preying on people who have taken boosters.
The subvariant is in a way a member of the family of the parent variant of the virus. Simply put, Omicron (B.1.1.529) is a parent variant of the coronavirus, which has three sub-variants or strains – BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3. Like Omicron, these also work to spread the infection rapidly among people.
Higher risk of infection if exposed to BA.2
The study was carried out between December and January by scientists from the Statens Serum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Statistics Denmark and the Technical University of Denmark. In the research, 8,500 cases of corona virus were investigated. The scientists found that among these patients who had BA.2 infection, they were 33% more capable of infecting others than BA.1 patients.
Frederick Plesner, lead scientist of the study, says that if you are exposed to the BA.2 subvariant in your household, you have a 39% chance of contracting the infection in the next seven days. On the other hand, if you are exposed to BA.1, there is a 29% chance of getting infected.
The research also found that there was no difference in the risk of hospitalization for infection with Omicron’s BA.1 and BA.2 sub variants.
BA.2 easily defeats the immune system
According to the researchers, the BA.2 strain has genetic characteristics that make it more infectious than Omicron’s first sub-strain. It is capable of easily defeating the human immune system, due to which people who have taken fully vaccinated and boosters are also getting infected by it.
However, the need for vaccination has also been highlighted in the study. According to health experts, the current corona vaccines are effective against all sub-variants of Omicron. They are effective in protecting us from getting seriously ill and at risk of hospitalization.
Currently, more than 81% of people in Denmark are fully vaccinated and 61% have been given a booster dose.
BA.2 wreaking havoc in Denmark
The majority of Omicron cases worldwide are in fact the BA.1 subvariant. However, BA.2 is fast replacing it. Cases are being reported in many countries including America, Britain, India, Sweden and Norway. At present it has become a dominant strain in Denmark. Here 82% of Omicron cases are of the BA.2 strain.
