The idea that a new form of the coronaviruses is creating a new wave of Covid has been conjured up in recent days.
Scientists say that scenario is very unlikely. The new variant of the Omicron viral family is called BA.2 and could drag out the Omicron surge in much of the world.
Vaccines are just as effective against BA.2 as they are against other forms of Omicron. It shows signs of spreading more quickly.
Thomas Peacock said that this may mean higher peak infections in places that have yet to peak, and a slowdown in the downward trends in places that have already experienced peak Omicron.
Researchers in South Africa first raised the alarm about Omicron in November of 2021. It was able to escape the antibodies produced by vaccines. The upper airway appears to have been made the focus by the other mutations. Omicron's genetic changes have made it 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465.
Researchers in South Africa began to find puzzling Omicron-like variants within weeks of Omicron's emergence. Some of Omicron's distinctive genes were shared by the viruses. They had some unique changes of their own.
It became clear that Omicron was made up of three different branches. The branches were named BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3.
BA.1 was the first Omicron sample. It was less common. It appears that BA.3 is the result of a kind of viral sex, in which the genes of BA.1 and BA.2 were scrambled together to create a new viral hybrid.
Scientists focused on BA.1 because it was the one that had a higher occurrence ratio than the others. It was easy to track it because of a lucky break.
Common tests detect three coronaviruses. Only two of the genes in BA.1 can be identified by the tests.
In December, researchers in South Africa found that a growing number of tests were failing to detect the spike gene, a sign that it was becoming more common. The Delta variant didn't cause spike failures in the tests. Delta waned as Omicron rose.
Unlike BA.1, BA.2 doesn't have the spike mutation that makes the tests fail. Some scientists dubbed it the "stealth version of Omicron" because they didn't have the ability to use PCR tests to track BA.2.
Researchers were able to track BA.2 by analyzing the genetic sequence of samples from positive tests. The difference between BA.1 and BA.2 could be determined by using a test called the PCR.
In recent weeks, BA.2 has become more common. The Statens Serum Institut reported on Thursday that 65 percent of new cases in the country are made up of BA.2. Researchers have found that people with BA.2 are not more likely to be hospitalized than those with BA.1.
The British government found that the variant makes up a small percentage of cases. It is growing faster than BA.1 because it is more transmissible.
British researchers found that vaccines were just as effective against BA.2 as they were against BA.1.
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle has a similar pattern in the United States in recent test samples. About 8 percent of cases in the United States are BA.2, and that figure is climbing fast, he said.
I'm pretty sure that it will become dominant in the U.S., but I don't, according to Nathan Grubaugh, an epidemiologist at the Yale University School of Public Health.
It is possible that BA.2 could lead to a new surge, but Dr. Grubaugh thinks that Covid cases will continue to decline. It is1-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-6556 Experiments on BA.1 may help scientists.
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