BA.2 likely to replace BA.1 in Telangana: Experts

Hyderabad: In a clear sign that the new BA.2 sub-lineage, popularly known as the stealth variant of Omicron, is becoming predominant in Telangana, genetic researchers have reported 256 Covid positive cases of BA.2 origin in the State between December 2021 and February 2022. While there are still questions over the impact of the new sub-lineage […]

Hyderabad: In a clear sign that the new BA.2 sub-lineage, popularly known as the stealth variant of Omicron, is becoming predominant in Telangana, genetic researchers have reported 256 Covid positive cases of BA.2 origin in the State between December 2021 and February 2022.

While there are still questions over the impact of the new sub-lineage on the third wave of the pandemic, in the coming weeks, health officials in Telangana expect that the BA.2 could eventually replace BA.1, the first Omicron variant, which was reported by South Africa in November 2021.

Earlier, between December and January, the genetic sequencing researchers of Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Sequencing Consortium (INSACOG) had reported 90 BA.2 positive cases in Telangana, which eventually swelled to 256 by February 2.

While the BA.2 is fast replacing BA.1, evidence out of Europe including Denmark and UK and even South Africa has indicated that the new variant does not appear to be more severe than BA.1, health officials here point out.

The severity of Omicron cases will increase with age and underlying medical conditions for individuals with compromised immunity. The new variant of the Omicron BA.2 is expected to be more transmissible than the earlier one and it is also expected to infect vaccinated individuals. Those with pre-existing medical conditions must take precautions and those who were not vaccinated must get administered with Covid vaccines at the earliest, officials said.

So far, the WHO has reported four major sub-lineages of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 including BA.1, BA. 1.1, BA.2 and BA. 3. The Omicron-driven third Covid wave in India started with BA.1 and within a short period of time, the BA.2 sub-lineage or a new variant has emerged, which is quickly replacing the first one across the globe.

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