A new version of the Omicron variant, BA.2, is spreading through Europe. And it’s now here in the U.S.
BA.2 is significantly more transmissible than the original Omicron BA.1 variant.
“Actually, it’s the most transmissible variant that we’ve dealt with, so, I’m concerned,” said Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
It’s hard to know what’s going to happen here in the United States, but all of the evidence points to the fact that BA.2 is going to be the dominant variant here within a week to two weeks.,” Dr. Swartzberg said.
And while it does not appear that the new BA.2 variant is more severe than the original Omicron, it needs to be taken seriously.
“Remember that Omicron BA.1 caused not only more infections than we’ve ever seen from any variant, but it caused more hospitalizations and more deaths and more episodes of long COVID than we’ve seen with any of the variants,” Dr. Swartzberg said.
So, with mask and testing restrictions in the U.S. being eased or eliminated in some cases, being fully vaccinated is your best line of defense.
