[Epoch Times, January 21, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Xu Jian comprehensive report) The CCP virus (COVID-19, the new coronavirus) has been lingering in the world, and a sub-variant of the Omicron virus is causing The scientific community is concerned.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Omicron, also known as B.1.1.529, has three sub-variants: BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3.
This Omicron sub-variant, BA.2, is known as “Stealth Omicron” and is currently creeping up in some parts of the world, including Denmark and the United Kingdom.
BA.1 has so far been dominant, with the WHO estimating that it accounts for the vast majority of all Omicron cases worldwide now, although in some places BA.2 has begun to spread more rapidly.
In Denmark, for example, “invisible Omicron” now accounts for almost half of all Omicron cases. Other countries, such as the UK, Norway and Sweden, are also seeing an increase in BA.2 cases, although the extent varies by country.
Should people be worried about this? The “stealth omicron” is spreading faster than other omicron sub-variants, leading the scientific community to fear that a more contagious strain of the coronavirus is surging through communities.
“Preliminary analysis showed no change in hospitalization rates due to BA.2 compared to BA.1,” the Statens Serum Institut, the Danish government-run infectious disease research center, said in a statement on Thursday (January 20).
On Friday (January 21), the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) officially listed the “invisible Omicron” as a “variant under investigation”. As of January 10, 53 cases of this spectrum have been identified in the UK.
Unlike the original Omicron variant, which accounts for the majority of infections in the UK, BA.2 does not carry a unique mutation, said UKHSA Director Dr Meera Chand: “The nature of viruses is to develop and mutate, so as the pandemic continues, we It is to be expected that we will see new variants emerge.”
“Our ongoing genomic surveillance allows us to detect these (variants) and assess their importance.”
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#