LONDON - Scientists believe they have detected a sub-variant of the omicron variant, which has already been blamed for the latest wave of COVID-19 cases across the globe.
The UK Health Security Agency announced Friday that it was investigating an omicron sub-lineage known as BA.2. "There is still uncertainty around the significance of the changes to the viral genome, and further analyses will now be undertaken," the agency said in a news release. RELATED: US COVID-19 cases dropping despite spikes in some regions, CDC data showsScientists said early analysis seems to show that BA.2 is more transmissible than the first omicron strain, but they haven’t been able to spot any meaningful difference between the two strains.
They add, as of Friday, there have been more than 400 confirmed cases of BA. 2 in 40 countries, with the first case being confirmed in December. "So far, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than Omicron BA.1, but data is limited and UKHSA continues to investigate," Dr.
Meera Chand, COVID-19 incident director at UKHSA, 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," she continued.