Emergent COVID Subvariant, Son of Omicron, Causes Concern

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a new COVID-19 subvariant, dubbed BA.2, also known as the "son of omicron." This variant has been detected in 49 countries and 17 states in the U.S., with over 10,800 cases reported as of the latest report.

Dr. Edward Walsh, a professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Rochester Medical Center, remains hopeful that BA.2 does not cause more severe disease or evade vaccines. He emphasises that it is too early to say whether BA.2 is a cause for concern.

BA.2 shares most of its mutations with the original omicron variant but has a few new mutations that may impact how the virus functions. These mutations are primarily located in the area of its genome that codes for the Spike protein, which could potentially help the virus evade vaccines and/or enter cells more easily.

However, there is no evidence to suggest that this variant evades COVID tests. Certain COVID tests cannot easily distinguish BA.2 from other variants such as the delta strain, but this does not mean the variant can evade COVID tests. Diagnostic tests for COVID-19 are still valid and can still detect the virus, but they cannot identify the specific variant.

The WHO has not yet designated BA.2 as a "variant of concern" or even a "variant of interest." The organisation has asked officials worldwide to monitor the new subvariant to determine how well current COVID vaccines and prior infections protect against it, if currently used treatments still work, and if it causes more severe disease.

Early data suggests BA.2 may spread more easily than the original omicron variant, but more data is needed to confirm this and understand its potential impact on hospitalizations and death. As of now, there is no evidence that BA.2 causes more severe disease.

The waiting game continues as new data is rapidly collected around the world regarding BA.2. We may be headed for a phase of the pandemic where disease will be less and less severe. However, it is crucial to remain vigilant and follow public health guidelines to prevent the spread of all COVID-19 variants.