One of the viruses among the Omicron version of Corona is wreaking havoc all over the world and the threat of the variant is looming. This variant has been named BA-2. Omicron’s sub-variant BA-2 has knocked in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. 16 people in the city have been found infected with the new strain of Omicron. There are also 6 children in them. At the same time, 530 samples have been sent from all over the country for testing.
Cases have also been reported in UK, Australia and Denmark. This variant spreads as fast as Omicron. In such a situation, if it is not identified, it is a big challenge to prevent its infection. The matter of concern is that the test kit is not even in its grip. For this reason it is being called ‘stealth’ i.e. hidden version. Each country of Britain, Sweden and Singapore has sent more than 100 samples for testing. The Omicron variant has now reached the community transmission stage in India. At present, there are about 22 lakh active cases in the country.
Where and when did you get the stealth version? It is not yet clear where the first case of this version was found. According to the British Health Protection Agency, the stealth version was first detected in the UK on 6 December 2021. There its 426 cases have been confirmed. It spreads faster than other variants. It is categorized as an under investigation in the UK.
What are the characteristics of BA-2 variant? The symptoms of the new variant BA-2 of Corona are similar to those of Omicron. The genetic source we look for to locate Omicron is missing in BA-2. In this case, this variant can be identified only through genetic sequencing.
How many countries have you reached?
Data is being collected from all countries under the ‘Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza’ since November 17 last year to identify new variants of Corona. So far, about 40 countries have already sent their data, including India.
How dangerous is this version?
Flahault, director of the University of Geneva, who is doing research on all the variants of Corona, says that do not panic after hearing its name, but caution is necessary. The new version BA-2 is just as contagious as Omicron. However, till now no information has been received about how dangerous it is.
2022-01-25
