An expert told Newsweek that even if the BA.2 variant is less severe than the original Omicron, the chance that it is better at spreading may boost infections.
, Aris Katzourakis, pointed out that trends seen in one country may not be repeated elsewhere. He said:"I wouldn't say I was that surprised by this, no. It seems to be a bit more transmissible than the original Omicron, so it would dominate.
What also isn't totally clear as yet is the severity of the BA. Omicron sub-variant, which as part of that lineage is treated as a variant of concern by the WHO. "Even if it is not more severe, its higher transmissibility will probably mean that the Omicron waves the world is experiencing will be larger.""We still are learning about BA.2, but the fact that it appears to be replacing BA.1 in some countries suggests it may have an advantage, such as increased transmissibility, over BA.1.
They added that the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment has thus far detected three cases of COVID caused by the BA.2 lineage using sequencing of clinical samples submitted to the state lab.
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