COLUMBUS, Ohio — Preliminary state data shows the BA.2 subvariant of the omicron COVID-19 strain “could well increase” in the coming weeks, Ohio health officials said Thursday, but they are not expecting another major virus surge.
What You Need To Know
- Officials do not believe BA.2 is the dominant version in Ohio yet
- Ohio's health director said data indicates BA.2 could be on the rise
- It's unlikely the subvariant will cause a surge like the omicron wave
Ohio Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said the state’s genomic sequencing and wastewater data indicate the sub-variant is not the dominant strain at this time.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest dashboard update showed the subvariant represents about 35% of U.S. COVID-19 cases. Scientists believe the subvariant has contributed to recent increases in COVID-19 cases in Europe and Asia.
During a news conference Thursday, Vanderhoff noted that the United States experienced the omicron surge earlier than other countries, and he said the surge in the U.S. was primarily driven by the earlier BA.1 strain.
The United States, “unlike much of Europe, endured a massive wave of BA.1 before the arrival of BA.2,” Vanderhoff said.
Because officials believe the immunity from a BA.1 infection offers good protection against BA.2, cases and hospitalizations could remain low even if BA.2 becomes dominant in Ohio.
“BA.2 seems to have an edge on its cousin BA.1 in terms of being more contagious. Nevertheless, they seem to have similar severity, be similarly responsive to vaccines, and very importantly, it's rare to see a BA.2 infection after a BA.1 infection,” Vanderhoff said.