The pandemic seems to be slowing down, in Italy and across Europe. The fears, if anything, are linked to the spread of Omicron 2, the latest variant of Covid, which is spreading at supersonic speed in parts of Asia and Europe, Denmark first and foremost. The mutation is officially called “micron BA.2” and this week virologists have detected cases in several countries including the United States, including California, Texas and Washington.
The alarm about the variant, however, comes from the United States, where it is still not widespread. The point is that scientists predict that it will spread across the country next February. There is mounting evidence that it is possibly more contagious than the original Omicron variant. Emma Hodcroft, an epidemiologist at the University of Bern who has been monitoring variants around the world via the Nextstrain project, cited by Messenger explains, “It could be that BA.2 has some small advantage. BA.2 could be, like, 1% to 3% more transmissible. So the big question now is: will this small difference be enough for this variant to lengthen the current wave in the US, as happened in Denmark? “He wonders.
And again, on the comparison between Omicron and version 2: “They share many mutations, circa 30, but they also have a bunch of mutations that are unique. They are quite similar, but they are also different. So they are very similar to the brothers, in my opinion. Different but obviously related “.
The point is that the latest variant is surprising scientists, growing exponentially in England and the UK as well. It seems it can exceed in terms of contagiousness any other previous variant. Just think of the case of Denmark, where infections are increasing dramatically, with over 40,000 positives recorded every day. In short, it may not be over. The latest fearsome threat is called Omicron 2: what impact will it have on the hospital system? How much will the vaccine defend us?