BA.2 Omicron sub-variant found in 57 countries

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic broke in 2019, several variants have dominated the world and taken millions of lives. Now, a sub-variant of the highly contagious Omicron strain has been detected in 57 countries, the WHO said Tuesday.

As per the studies, the newly detected sub-variant could be even more contagious than the original version. In its weekly epidemiological update, the WHO said that the variant counts several sub-lineages: BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3.

Dr. Boris Pavlin of the World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 Response Team has said BA.2 was starting to replace Omicron’s more common and “original” BA.1 sub-variant in countries such as Denmark.

“BA.2- designated sequences have been submitted to GISAID from 57 countries to date,” WHO said. According to the Organisation, several countries are reporting recent increases in the sub-variant known as BA.2.