COVID-19 new variant

The data for 16/05/2022 is favourable for Mzansi – Image via Unsplash

BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron spreading FAST: What we know

The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron makes up over a third of all coronavirus variants circulating in the United States.

COVID-19 new variant

The data for 16/05/2022 is favourable for Mzansi – Image via Unsplash

The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron makes up over a third of all coronavirus variants circulating in the United States, according to an estimate from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday.

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According to Reuters, Covid-19 infections in the United States have receded sharply since hitting record levels in January, although a coronavirus resurgence in parts of Asia and Europe due to the BA.2 sub-variant has raised some concerns.

As of 20 March, the seven-day moving average of US Covid-19 cases was 27 786, down 17.6% from a week earlier.

Most of the United States is considered to have low transmission, under new CDC guidelines introduced last month, which emphasised hospitalisation rates and advised most Americans they no longer needed to wear masks.

Several sub-variants of Omicron in circulation

Other Omicron sub-variants that have been circulating since December – called BA.1.1 and BA.1.1.529 – now make up around 57.3% and 7.9%, respectively, of circulating variants.

The CDC estimates that BA.2 made up 22.3% circulating variants in the country for the week ending 12 March, revised down from 23.1%, according to a CDC model that estimates proportions of circulating variants.

The CDC has in the past revised its estimates as it gets more data.