A subtype of the coronavirus variant omicron has attracted the attention of scientists. As French Health Minister Olivier Véran told journalists on Thursday evening, the characteristics of the subtype of the coronavirus known as BA.2 have not yet been adequately researched. Currently BA.2 does not change the infection situation, he added. The variant has already been detected in several countries, particularly in Europe.
“There are fairly regular variants,” emphasized Véran. Like the delta variant, the omicron variant also produced “little brothers” during its replication: subtypes that differ from the original genome in only one or two mutations.
Infectiologist Huldrych Günthard: “I think the peak will be mid-February at the latest”(01:39)
Exact effects still unclear
The World Health Organization has not yet differentiated between Omicron and sub-variant BA.2. However, the latest data from Denmark makes you sit up and take notice: In the country, where the number of daily infections has been rising again for a few days, BA.2 is said to be the predominant variant.
“We have an international situation in which the omicron variant circulates heavily, it is normal that we find sub-variants over time,” said the French health authority on Friday. The decisive factor is whether BA.2 has different characteristics in terms of contagiousness, immune reaction or the severity of the course of the disease. (zis/SDA)
Infectiologist Huldrych Günthard: «We have practically no omicron cases on the IPS»(01:42)