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The BA.2 omicron COVID-19 sub-variant is spreading in New York City.
According to New York State health department data, BA.2 is doubling in proportion statewide every two weeks and represents about one in 10 sequenced cases.
“Between February 27 and March 5, 2022 CDC’s program for HHS Region 2 (New York, New Jersey, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico) estimated 100% of samples were the omicron variant, compared to 100% in the previous one-week period. During this time period, 82.7% of omicron sequences were lineage BA.1.1.529, and 17.3% were BA.2,” the state reported.
BA.2: WHAT EXPERTS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE OMICRON SUB-VARIANT
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the trend in similar data for New York and New Jersey.
This comes as COVID-19 cases have fallen in the Big Apple and around the nation since the winter’s surge. COVID-19 risk is considered low in most of New York state and the city.
Gothamist has reported that city wastewater surveillance is revealing an increase in coronavirus readings over recent weeks.
People walk though Times Square during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 10, 2021.
(REUTERS/Carlo Allegri)
One estimate suggests BA.2 – nicknamed the “stealth” variant – is about 30% more contagious than BA.1.
The sublineage has been found to have a higher growth rate compared to BA.1, though the World Health Organization (WHO) reported last week that BA.1.1 remains predominant.
In a weekly update, the agency said an analysis of GISAID data exhibits a growth rate advantage of BA.2 over the BA.1 lineage, “with a pooled mean transmission advantage of 56% under the assumption of an unchanged generation time.”
In a February statement, the WHO explained that BA.2 differs from BA.1 in its genetic sequence, including some amino acid differences in the spike protein and other proteins.
CDC DIRECTOR:…
Source : foxnews
