The highly contagious Omicron sub-variant known as BA.2 is gaining a foothold in Canada just as provinces begin removing pandemic restrictions, according to newly released data.
Highlights
- BA.2 is 1.4 times as contagious as the already highly transmissible original Omicron sub-variant.
- Experts say it will have an influence on case counts in Ontario, but will likely not be a complete game changer.
- It could extend the current wave of the pandemic, increase case counts, or slow the decrease in cases at a time when provinces are dropping gathering restrictions and mask mandates.
- It transmits at 1.2 times the rate of BA.1, replicates more easily in nasal cells and that experiments in hamsters show it is more virulent than the original.
- BA2 represents about 35 per cent of cases in Ontario and about 8.3 per cent in British Columbia.