A new COVID omicron subvariant has been identified in NC. What you should know.
The presence of the BA.2 subvariant of omicron, the current dominant variant of the coronavirus, has been confirmed in North Carolina, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
The BA.2 subvariant wasn’t identified by the NCDHHS State Laboratory of Public Health but was detected in other laboratories in the state, including some of the labs participating in the statewide COVID-19 sequencing network, a DHHS spokesman told The News & Observer.
NCDHHS said it “represents a very small proportion of sequenced viruses in the United States at this time” and did not say what proportion it has among sequenced viruses in the state.
The department did not answer questions regarding whether it’s suspected that it will lead to an uptick in cases and hospitalizations in the spring, although daily reported cases in North Carolina have decreased significantly since January.
On Tuesday, NCDHHS reported 1,716 new COVID-19 cases, compared with 2,060 reported Monday, Feb. 21; 3,567 reported Sunday, Feb. 20; and 4,261 reported Saturday, Feb. 19.
What is the BA.2 subvariant?
The BA.2 subvariant is a new mutation, or sublineage, of the omicron variant, of which two have already been identified globally, BA.1 and BA.1.1. The World Health Organization said that it should not be regarded as a new variant altogether.
The subvariant accounts for an estimated 3.9% all new infections nationally, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the rate of infections appears to be doubling quickly.
It’s believed to be more infectious and more resistant to immunity than the original omicron variant, according to research cited by the WHO and the CDC and a recent laboratory study.
Ongoing studies show this subvariant has a “growth advantage” over other detected subvariants of omicron, the WHO said in a statement on its website Tuesday. WHO added that “initial data suggest that BA.2 appears inherently more transmissible than BA.1, which currently remains the most common omicron sublineage reported.”
Should I be worried?
Infectious disease experts are keeping a wary eye on BA.2, which poses a risk of reinfecting people and causing breakthrough infections among the vaccinated to a greater degree than previously seen, according to a new study cited by NPR.
The subvariant overtook the original omicron in countries like South Africa and Denmark, leading to surges in cases, but a surge hasn’t occurred yet in the U.S., NPR reported.
But some experts think it’s unlikely BA.2 will cause a massive nationwide spike, primarily because so many people have immunity from prior infections, vaccinations and booster shots, NPR reported.
In general, COVID-19 cases are declining overall, the WHO said.
“There is no evidence that the BA.2 lineage is more severe than the BA.1 lineage,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told national outlets last week. “CDC continues to monitor variants that are circulating both domestically and internationally. We will continue to monitor emerging data on disease severity in humans and findings from papers like this conducted in laboratory settings.”
How can I protect myself?
In a statement, NCDHHS said the best protection from all COVID-19 variants continues to be vaccinations and booster shots for those eligible.
Experts still haven’t ruled out significant rises in infections, hospitalizations and deaths due to the rise of the new subvariant, which continues to be studied.
Though many vaccinated and unvaccinated people were infected during a period of record-high number of COVID-19 cases in North Carolina recently, thanks to the original omicron variant, scientists say people shouldn’t let their guard down.
Breakthrough cases among the fully vaccinated and boosted won’t give them “super immunity” and make them completely immune to the coronavirus, The Charlotte Observer reported.
But a recent study from the CDC shows that infection and death rates were lower among fully vaccinated individuals who had got their booster shot than those who did not get the booster. Both of those groups were still less likely to get COVID-19 and/or die from the virus than those who are not vaccinated.
This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 6:25 PM.
