Global variant trackers have found 21 viral offspring associated with BA.2. Two of these offshoots have been fueling a rise in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in central New York state.
Arguably the most successful version of the Omicron coronavirus variant to date has been BA.2 -- but it hasn't been resting on its laurels.
BA.2 has been picking up mutations, sometimes shifting into sleeker and, incredibly, even faster versions of itself. Global variant trackers have found 21 viral offspring associated with BA.2. Most of these look like underachievers, with mutations of little consequence. But two of these offshoots -- BA.2.12.1 and BA.2.12 -- have been fueling a rise in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in central New York state. And one of them, BA.2.12.1, is outpacing BA.2 in other regions, too.
If you were vaccinated or previously infected -- if your immune system has seen and recognized some of the virus before -- and you catch Covid again, your chances of going to the hospital are reduced by about 90%, Griffin says. If you test positive quickly enough and get treatment, like monoclonal antibodies or Paxlovid, that's another 90% reduction in the likelihood you'll wind up in the hospital.
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