Omicron BA.2 subvariant likely to have same severity as the original, WHO says
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The emerging BA.2 form of the omicron coronavirus variant does not seem to be any more severe than the original BA.1 form, an official of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.
Vaccines also continue to provide similar protection against the different forms of omicron, Dr. Boris Pavlin of the WHO's COVID-19 Response Team told an online briefing.
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The comments come as the BA.2 subvariant begins to replace omicron's more common "original" BA.1 subvariant in countries such as Denmark.
A World Health Organization official said Tuesday that the emerging BA.2 form of the omicron COVID-19 variant does not seem to be any more severe than the original BA.1 form. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP) Based on data from Denmark, the first country where BA.2 overtook BA.1, there appears to be no difference in disease severity, although BA.2 has the potential to replace BA.1 globally, Pavlin added. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS "Looking at other countries where BA.2 is now overtaking, we're not seeing any higher bumps in hospitalization than expected," he said. Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams weighs in on a new survey that showed the vast majority of Americans are ready to accept COVID as part of life. BA.2 is more transmissible than the more common BA.1 and more able to infect vaccinated people, according to a Danish study which analyzed coronavirus infections in more than 8,500 Danish households between December and January. The subvariant is already becoming dominant in the Philippines, Nepal, Qatar, India and Denmark, Pavlin said. GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE He added: "Vaccination is profoundly protective against severe disease, including for omicron. BA.2 is rapidly replacing BA.1. Its impact is unlikely to be substantial, although more data are needed." Source: Read Full Article
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