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Signs of Covid-19 vaccination in the UK in January.
Finnbarr Webster / Getty Images
In some European countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany, new cases of Covid-19 have recently increased, and new attention is being paid to the Omicron subvariant known as BA.2.
The cause of the increase after a one-and-a-half-month sharp drop in the number of cases remains unclear, but much of Europe, including parts of the United Kingdom, has virtually lifted the Covid-19 limit in recent weeks. It may be the cause. Increasing number of cases.
It is also rising because the Omicron strain, known as BA.2, has overtaken the original Omicron strain, now known as BA.1, in parts of the world, including parts of Europe. Due to the wider turmoil in the global decline in Covid-19 cases, the average number of new cases per day dropped from more than 3.4 million in late January to 1.6 million as of Friday.
Below are some questions and answers about BA.2 and what they mean during the pandemic process.
What is BA.2?
The variant name Omicron initially referred to the strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus known as B.1.1.529, but soon expanded its definition to include the number of related strains. The original lineage is now known as BA.1. The important strain is BA.2. The strain first identified in November has become widespread in recent weeks.
BA.2 first received widespread attention in mid-February when WHO expressed concern about its potential to cause an increase in cases. BA.2 is not thought to cause more serious illness than BA.1, but is more contagious, according to WHO.
How popular is BA.2?
According to WHO, virtually all virus samples sequenced worldwide during the 30 days prior to March 8 were Omicron strains. Among them, BA.2 accounts for 34.2% of the sequenced samples worldwide.
BA.2 remains relatively rare in the United States. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the United States, pedigree caused 11.6% of Covid-19 cases in the week leading up to March 5, an increase from 6.6% in the previous week.
In some parts of the world, BA.2 is already the predominant version of the virus and the most common variant in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. As of March 4, 84% of PCR tests are positive in London. According to the UK Health Security Agency, the BA.2 variant may be the cause for Covid-19.
Where are the new Covid-19 cases rising again?
As of Tuesday, when the World Health Organization published its last update, the number of new Covid-19 cases was down 5% worldwide compared to the previous week.
However, this decline masks significant differences in viral status in different parts of the world. Cases in Europe decreased by 18%, cases in the Americas decreased by 24%, but cases in the Western Pacific (WHO region) decreased. This included China, an increase of 46%.
In certain countries where the number of cases has decreased, a slight reversal is currently recorded. Cases are increasing slightly in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, etc. As of March 6, the final day of full data availability, the average rate of 19 new Covid cases per 100,000 people in the UK increased by 20% compared to the previous week.
Could BA.2 cause a recent increase in cases in the UK?
It’s not clear, but based on data collected from early February to early March, a paper published by British researchers on March 10 shows an increase in BA.2 compared to some infection rates. He argued that it could be one factor explaining the high point.England
“Continuous replacement of other Omicron substrains by BA.2 could contribute to high infection rates as well as openness to society, as was the case with all national legislation associated with COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. It demonstrates the benefits of a sexual BA.2 infection. It was lifted, “the author associated with Imperial College London wrote.
Will the new Covid-19 antivirals work against BA.2.
Yes, according to a correspondence published in the New England Journal of Medicine on March 9, according to the author.
Gilead Sciences
‘(Ticker: GILD) Remdesivir, and the Covid-19 antiviral drug developed by
Merck
(MRK) and
Pfizer
(PFE) appears to work against BA.2 in lab tests, just as it works against other versions of the virus.
Write a letter to Josh Nathan-Kazis (josh.nathan-kazis@barrons.com).
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