Business Insider 25. January 2022 03:27 Scientists are closely watching an Omicron subtype spreading in Denmark, the UK, Singapore and India Business Insider, Jan 24, 2022, Health officials and scientists worldwide are closely watching a subtype of the highly infectious Omicron COVID-19 variant.
The new variant, called BA.2, is a sister to BA.1 — the virus driving most COVID-19 cases worldwide. Scientists have spotted that the number of people infected with BA.2 has steadily increased in several countries including India, the UK, Sweden, and Singapore. It was first detected in the Philippines in December 2021.
This could signal BA.2 is more infectious than BA.1, though there isn't enough data yet to determine any meaningful difference between the two, experts have said.
Scientists worldwide are now scrambling to work out if current vaccines will still work on the subtype, and whether BA.2 is more deadly.
In Denmark, BA.2 has displaced BA.1 and now accounts for almost half of the new infections in the country, health officials said Thursday. Early data from the country suggests there hasn't been an uptick in hospitalizations since the variant took hold, they said.
Dr Tom Peacock, a researcher at Imperial College London, who was one of the first to sound the alarm about Omicron in November, said on Twitter Friday that BA.2 probably wouldn't cause a a second Omicron wave: "I think the likely scenario is BA.2 just exacerbates what the national Omicron situation is (slows down decreases, increases peaks, etc)."Peacock said that the variant was not a "major cause of concern", but "definitely worth keeping an eye on," per the Financial Times.
According to the World Health Organization, Omicron comprises four viruses: B.1.1.529, BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3.
The BA.1. and BA.2 sister variants share common mutations, but there are about 50 that differ between either subtype, Peacock said Sunday.
Scientists have previously warned that BA.2. is a bit harder to track in lab tests than BA.1 due to mutations in the part of the virus that attaches to cells. As of Monday, the BA.2 Omicron subtype had been detected in 10,811 sequenced tests from 49 countries and 17 US states, according to Scripps University's Outbreak.info. Outbreak.info pulls data from a well-regarded central database called the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data, or GISAID. Countries with more than 100 BA.2 cases include: Denmark (8,357), India (711), the UK (607), Sweden (224), and Singapore (203). But as a percentage of cases overall, it remains low. For example, BA.2 accounts for about 0.03% of all tests sequenced in the UK, according to Outbreak info.
UK health officials labeled BA.2 a "variant under investigation" on Friday. This essentially meansUK officials are concerned about its mutations, but it hasn't yet been determined whether the variant is more deadly, more infectious or better able to evade vaccines.
The UK Health and Security Agencysaid Friday that their decision was based on "small but increasing numbers" of the virus in the country and its spread internationally. "There is still uncertainty around the significance of the changes to the viral genome, and further analyses will now be undertaken," it said."It is the nature of viruses to evolve and mutate, so it's to be expected that we will continue to see new variants emerge as the pandemic goes on," Dr Meera Chand, UKHSA COVID-19 incident director, said.
The new variant, called BA.2, is a sister to BA.1 — the virus driving most COVID-19 cases worldwide. Scientists have spotted that the number of people infected with BA.2 has steadily increased in several countries including India, the UK, Sweden, and Singapore. It was first detected in the Philippines in December 2021.
This could signal BA.2 is more infectious than BA.1, though there isn't enough data yet to determine any meaningful difference between the two, experts have said.
Scientists worldwide are now scrambling to work out if current vaccines will still work on the subtype, and whether BA.2 is more deadly.
In Denmark, BA.2 has displaced BA.1 and now accounts for almost half of the new infections in the country, health officials said Thursday. Early data from the country suggests there hasn't been an uptick in hospitalizations since the variant took hold, they said.
Dr Tom Peacock, a researcher at Imperial College London, who was one of the first to sound the alarm about Omicron in November, said on Twitter Friday that BA.2 probably wouldn't cause a a second Omicron wave: "I think the likely scenario is BA.2 just exacerbates what the national Omicron situation is (slows down decreases, increases peaks, etc)."Peacock said that the variant was not a "major cause of concern", but "definitely worth keeping an eye on," per the Financial Times.
According to the World Health Organization, Omicron comprises four viruses: B.1.1.529, BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3.
The BA.1. and BA.2 sister variants share common mutations, but there are about 50 that differ between either subtype, Peacock said Sunday.
Scientists have previously warned that BA.2. is a bit harder to track in lab tests than BA.1 due to mutations in the part of the virus that attaches to cells. As of Monday, the BA.2 Omicron subtype had been detected in 10,811 sequenced tests from 49 countries and 17 US states, according to Scripps University's Outbreak.info. Outbreak.info pulls data from a well-regarded central database called the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data, or GISAID. Countries with more than 100 BA.2 cases include: Denmark (8,357), India (711), the UK (607), Sweden (224), and Singapore (203). But as a percentage of cases overall, it remains low. For example, BA.2 accounts for about 0.03% of all tests sequenced in the UK, according to Outbreak info.
UK health officials labeled BA.2 a "variant under investigation" on Friday. This essentially meansUK officials are concerned about its mutations, but it hasn't yet been determined whether the variant is more deadly, more infectious or better able to evade vaccines.
The UK Health and Security Agencysaid Friday that their decision was based on "small but increasing numbers" of the virus in the country and its spread internationally. "There is still uncertainty around the significance of the changes to the viral genome, and further analyses will now be undertaken," it said."It is the nature of viruses to evolve and mutate, so it's to be expected that we will continue to see new variants emerge as the pandemic goes on," Dr Meera Chand, UKHSA COVID-19 incident director, said.
有同事打了加强针还中招的，而且症状不轻呢
发现打了疫苗还是会被传染，而且症状都是轻到中症，有不少人没有什么症状，所以也不会去做测试，即使有轻微咳嗽的人也会认为是感冒而不做测试，导致大面积传播。马上就要WFH两年了，也没觉得有什么影响，漫漫长路不知何时休？
听说城里90%的人都可能是，我还想问教导是否属实呢
我同事要在纽约城里做眼睛手术，犹豫半天还是去做了。另一个同事上周三去了一次办公室和客户开会，我们这里视频会议， 结果回去后周五发现阳性，头痛，鼻塞，浑身无力，骨头疼，头胀，周末两天休息还是时好时坏，看来打了加强针也没啥用啊，今天去看医生，感觉纽约医生好伟大，居然还肯亲自接见，我们这里的医生肯定要求virtual 啊，你还愿意让儿子做医生吗？
这周末儿子还打算飞回纽约呢，说好像那里没事了～～
还是纽约地地道道老美说的，她的头衔是E level 的啊 ：）这两天我们这里也听说了，反正我现在不出门了，连出去散步都戴好KN95 了
没你说的那么可怕。最近有2起与新冠擦肩而过的实例，都没事，感觉想得上也不是那么容易
我难受两天，咳嗽三天，上周去测阳性，估计Omicron,主要症状就是感冒流感症状。现在基本痊愈。我老公最后中招，烧了三天，现在逐渐恢复。
我家就我儿子啥症状都没有。
目前心理轻松很多。得了，该来的还是来了。。。也没啥。。。有了自然免疫，以后更不怕了。
积极锻炼身体吃好穿好吧，珍惜现在拥有的每一天！
积极锻炼身体吃好穿好吧，珍惜现在拥有的每一天！
新冠疫情恶化？哈佛准备向学生提供KN-95口罩。
https://bbs.wenxuecity.com/znjy/5573156.html
学校上周的email说甚至有可能会取消每周的测试（改成optional）
赶快再去党校做个PCR测试 LOL
好像是说难也容易，说容易也真难。
那样的庆祝规格？这下好像又没戏了。敌人改打游击战了。
我们全家除了女儿外都没有做过测试呢，我们说是女儿老油条替我们做了
。我在costco买了2包test kits准备让儿子带回去以备急需，呵呵。
PCR测试灵敏度非常高，一点点病毒就能探测到，而快测的误诊率高。
亲自看新冠病人啊
没被吓死？
美帝出钱在中国实验室做研究，不小心就漏了出来，于是一边是又洗又军管又销毁，另一边刚刚想查发现自己也脱不了干系，于是就不继续了。。双方一起面对这个问题的时候就环顾四周而言他了。。。
很多实验，鉴于美国法律要求不能做，美帝无良科学家就弄到别的国家去做。。
现在身体健康最重要，其他都是浮云。。。朋友的老公肺癌，这两天动手术，三个医生一起做六个小时的大手术，你再看看现在的疫情，这些病人处于多危险的境地啊。。。真的是欲哭无泪啊。。。
跟costco travel的agent聊了半天，感觉她话里话外都是covid期间旅行各种麻烦，能不去就别去了。