Published 18 February 2022
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
As BA.2 subvariant of Omicron rises, lab studies point to signs of severity
By Brenda Goodman, CNN
(CNN)The BA.2 virus — a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant — isn’t just spreading faster than its distant cousin, it may also cause more severe disease and appears capable of thwarting some of the key weapons we have against Covid-19, new research suggests. New lab experiments from Japan show that BA.2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants of Covid-19, including Delta. And like Omicron, it appears to largely escape the immunity created by vaccines. A booster shot restores protection, making illness after infection about 74% less likely.
