New Omicron Subvariant Being Tracked In Minnesota
Originally published Feb. 23
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Another type of the Omicron variant has been detected in Minnesota, and health officials are tracking it.
The subvariant, called Omicron BA.2, was detected in 55 of the more than 4,000 new COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday. The Minnesota Department of Health says that the BA.2 variant has made up 0.5% of total Omicron cases in Minnesota to date. The majority of Omicron cases in Minnesota have been of the BA.1 variant, which was first detected in South Africa last year.
According to the Met Council's wastewater data, the new subvariant began being noticed in the Twin Cities early last month.
Omicron BA.2 has seen detected widely in Europe and Asia, accounting for perhaps a third of global COVID-19 cases currently. However, it has not been widely detected in the United States.
Scientists have expressed concern that the new subvariant, which is believed to be more contagious than the first, could lengthen the lifespan of the Omicron surge, perhaps delaying the lifting of restrictions for governments and businesses.
So far, studies have not shown the new subvariant to be more deadly than the original.