Omicron`s sub-variant BA.2 more contagious, gradually increasing in India, know more

NEW DELHI: The prevalence of Omicron sub-lineage BA.2 is more contagious and gradually increasing in India, the Union Health Ministry has warned while briefing about the Covid-19 situation in the country.

Sujeet Kumar Singh, Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), on Thursday said, “Omicron sub-variant BA.2 is more prevalent in comparison to the BA.1 variant in India now.’’ He, however, added that BA.3 sub-variant has not been detected in India yet.

"Earlier, the BA.1 variant was dominant among the samples collected from the travellers. Now in community settings, we have found that the BA.2 sub-variant is gradually increasing," Singh said.

Talking about increasing cases of Omicron, Singh said that out of the total genome sequencing reports received so far, increasing cases of Omicron have been found in the month of January.

Of the total reports received, 1,292 Omicron cases were found in December last year, whereas the number of Delta cases was over 17,000, he said. In January so far, 9,672 Omicron cases have been found against 4,779 Delta cases, which includes 3,201 AYC variants and 1,578 Delta variants, Singh said.

Mainly three states - Maharashtra, Odisha, and West Bengal - have reported the Delta variant on the basis of genome sequencing, said Singh, adding that it does not mean that only the Omicron variant is being reported everywhere.

Unvaccinated and those with comorbidities face more risks

He emphasised that the Delta variant has not gone yet. Talking about Covid fatalities, he said that those unvaccinated and people with comorbidities are in the high-risk group. "Around 64 per cent of those who died in Delhi were from the unvaccinated group with major comorbid population," he added.

What do we know about the Omicron sub-variant?

The BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant is dominant in Asia and Europe, especially in Denmark. It appears more contagious than the more common BA.1 sub-lineage, according to Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke. However, there is no evidence that the BA.2 variant causes more disease, but it is certainly more contagious. 

-The BA.1 lineage currently accounts for 98% of all cases globally but in Denmark has been pushed aside by BA.2, which became the dominant strain in the second week of January.

-The UK Health Security Agency has designated BA.2 a variant under investigation, saying it could have a growth advantage.

-Preliminary calculations suggest BA.2 could be 1.5 times more infectious than BA.1, according to Denmark`s top infectious disease authority, Statens Serum Institut (SSI).

However, an initial analysis by the institute showed no difference in the risk of hospitalisation for BA.2 compared to BA.1. "There is some indication that it is more contagious, especially for the unvaccinated, but that it can also infect people who have been vaccinated to a greater extent," SSI`s technical director Tyra Grove Krause said at the briefing.

-BA.2 cases have also been registered in Britain, Sweden and Norway, but to a much lesser extent than in Denmark.

Denmark on Wednesday announced plans to scrap the last of its COVID-19 restrictions by Feb 1, the latest country in Europe to do so despite record high daily infection numbers.

(With Agency inputs)