Omicron BA.2 sub-lineage insufficiently studied to measure difference from original: EMA

The subvariant of the Omicron strain of the coronavirus dubbed BA.2 requires further study to understand to what extent it is distinct from its original - the Omicron - regarding contagiousness and other factors, Marco Cavaleri, the head of Biological Health Threats and Vaccines Strategy at the European Medicines Agency (EMA), said on Thursday.

According to the official, the Omicron keeps actively spreading across Europe and worldwide, with the BA.2 also present in many countries.

"It is too early to say to what extent this variant differs from Omicron in terms of transmissibility and immune invasion, noting however that it remains a closely related strain to Omicron," Cavaleri said.

BA.2, one of three substrains of the Omicron variant, was declared dominant in Denmark earlier this week. The subtype was first detected in the Philippines, according to GISAID, an international database that tracks changes in the virus.

It is speculated that BA.2 will predominate in terms of cases in other countries where it has been detected, outpacing the previously leading BA.1 substrain. (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )

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