Total active cases stand at 13,944
coronavirus2 days ago
The BA.2 sub-variant of the Omicron coronavirus variant, which has quickly taken over in Denmark, is more transmissible than the more common BA.1 and more able to infect vaccinated people, a Danish study has found.
The study, which analysed coronavirus infections in more than 8,500 Danish households between December and January, found that people infected with the BA.2 sub-variant were roughly 33 per cent more likely to infect others, compared to those infected with BA.1.
Worldwide, the “original” BA.1 sub-variant accounts for more than 98 per cent of Omicron cases, but its close cousin BA.2 has quickly become the dominant strain in Denmark, dethroning BA.1 in the second week of January.
“We conclude that Omicron BA.2 is inherently substantially more transmissible than BA.1, and that it also possesses immune-evasive properties that further reduce the protective effect of vaccination against infection,” the study’s researchers said.
The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, was conducted by researchers at Statens Serum Institut (SSI), Copenhagen University, Statistics Denmark and Technical University of Denmark.
“If you have been exposed to Omicron BA.2 in your household, you have 39% probability of being infected within seven days. If you instead had been exposed to BA.1, the probability is 29 per cent,” lead study author Frederik Plesner told Reuters.
That suggests BA.2 is around 33 per cent more infectious than BA.1, he added.
BA.2 cases have also been registered in the United States, Britain, Sweden and Norway, but to a much lesser extent than in Denmark, where it accounts for roughly 82 per cent of cases.
The study also showed that BA.2 was relatively better than BA.1 at infecting vaccinated and booster-vaccinated people, indicating greater “immune evasive properties” of the sub-variant.
ALSO READ:
But vaccines still played an important role, the study underlined, since both booster-vaccinated and fully vaccinated individuals were less like to get infected and transmit either sub-variants, compared to those not vaccinated.
Preliminary analysis by SSI has shown that there is no difference in the risk of hospitalisation for BA.2 compared to BA.1.
The study also confirms preliminary analysis from England, which showed BA.2 appears to have a substantial growth advantage over the BA.1 type, according to Britain’s UK Health Security Agency.
Total active cases stand at 13,944
coronavirus2 days ago
389,943 infections reported in the Sultanate since the pandemic began
coronavirus2 days ago
Authority issues guidelines for citizens
coronavirus2 days ago
Visitors from outside of the EU allowed to enter with negative Covid test
coronavirus3 days ago
The total doses administered now stand at 24.8 million
coronavirus3 days ago
The Hope Consortium has delivered millions of vaccines from the point of manufacture to the point of immunisation
coronavirus3 days ago
Over 160 million PCR tests have been conducted in the country so far
coronavirus3 days ago
Partners exhibited excellence and professionalism in their cooperation: Major General Ahmed Mohamed Rafie
coronavirus3 days ago