Omicron subvariant is more contagious but not more severe

Omicron subvariant is more contagious but not more severe: Denmark.

Copenhagen: The BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus is prevalent in Denmark and appears to be more contagious than the less common BA.1 sublineage Danish health minister Magnus Heunicke declared on Wednesday (January 26, 2022) in a national speech.

“There is no evidence that the BA.2 variant causes more disease, but it must be more contagious,” Heinicke spoke at a news conference.

The BA.1 lineage is responsible for 98% of cases globally; however, within Denmark is being removed by BA.2, which was the most prevalent strain on January 2 in the first week.

The UK Health Security Agency has identified BA.2 as a variant that is under review and has stated that it may have potential growth advantages.

The preliminary calculations suggest BA.2 maybe 1.5 times more infected than BA.1 Denmark’s most prestigious infectious disease authorities, Statens Serum Institut (SSI), announced in a note issued on Wednesday.

An initial study by the institute found no significant difference in the likelihood of hospitalization in 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,” the technical director of SSI Tyra Grove Krause told the briefing.

This could mean that the outbreak in Denmark will last longer into February than was previously predicted, Krause suggested.

However, BA.2 cases have also been reported in Britain, Sweden, and Norway to a smaller extent than in Denmark.

Denmark has announced on Wednesday plans to eliminate the final of its Covid-19 bans until February 1 as the latest country within Europe to do so, despite record-high daily numbers of infections.