“The difference is the number of mutations. With Omicron, the BA.1 has like 60 plus mutations, the Omicron BA.2 has like 85 mutations. That’s why in some of these articles before, it was called a stealth Omicron because it was not readily detected with the test and you need sequencing in order for you to identify specific mutations,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel on Wednesday.
“That is basically the only difference—the mutations. For the behavior of the virus, if it is causing more severe or is it more severe than Omicron, I do not think so. For those who are afraid it will evade immunity for those vaccinated, I don’t think it will evade immunity,” he added.
The Department of Health (DOH) earlier also confirmed that the BA.2 sub-lineage of Omicron is now "predominant in most regions" in the country. Nevertheless, the health agency stated that its clinical presentation is not yet significantly different from the BA.1. Solante, added that the BA.2 sub-lineage perhaps will not cause a more severe disease than the Delta variant.
“If you recover from an Omicron infection, I think your antibody against that will still protect you against that [BA.2] variant or lineage. I don’t think it can cause a more severe disease compared to Delta,” he said.
British authorities have already identified earlier hundreds of cases of the BA.2 sub-lineage with international data suggesting that it could spread relatively quickly.
The UK Health Security Agency had designated the BA.2 sub-lineage as a variant under experimentation.
SOURCE:
Inquirer.net
Published by: Ysabella Charis Vaila
Date published: January 26, 2022
Time published: 4:05 pm
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