Since November last year, scientists have been monitoring the behavior of the latest mutation of the coronavirus, Omicron (BA.1).
However, a number of countries are simultaneously experiencing an increase in cases of infection with a new subtype of the latest mutation, called BA.2. The variant was first discovered in December.
Scientists around the world are monitoring the omicron coronavirus mutation and its new subtype BA.2, reports.
According to the publication, in a number of countries there is a steady increase in cases of infection with Omicron-BA.2.
Today, the leaders are India, Great Britain, Sweden and Singapore, and the subtype was discovered in the Philippines in December last year.
Experts tend to believe that the BA.2 variant is even more contagious than its predecessor, BA.1.
But insufficient data have yet been collected to make final conclusions about the presence of a significant difference.
At the same time, research is being conducted on the effectiveness of antibodies and existing vaccines against a new type of omicron.
Whether omicron-BA.2 is more lethal is not yet known.
So far, British scientists say that there are about 50 differences between the two subspecies, and also that BA.2. difficult to detect in laboratory tests.
Meanwhile, Danish epidemiologists say that BA.2 has begun to displace BA.1. The first variant already accounts for almost half of all infected residents.
But at the same time, there has not yet been a surge in hospitalizations.
