How BA.2 variant is dominating the globe and should India worry?

Among the major Omicron sub-variants, the relative proportion of BA.2 has increased steadily since the end of 2021, making it the dominant lineage by the end of February this year, the World Health Organization's (WHO's) latest epidemiological update showed.  
 
BA.2 or stealth is currently dominant in the region of the Americas. This trend is most pronounced in the South-East Asia Region, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean, African, Western Pacific and European regions, the WHO report said.  
 
Since the first reporting of the Omicron variant in November 2021, more than 2.4 million sequences have been deposited in GISAID, a global science initiative and primary source that provides open access to genomic data of influenza viruses and coronavirus, which is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
"By the first week of January 2022, Omicron accounted for 90 per cent of submitted sequences; by week five, Omicron had largely replaced all other variants and now accounts for over 99.8 per cent of submitted sequences globally. Omicron has a number of descendant lineages, including BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3," the report said, adding that in the last 30 days, BA.2 has become the predominant variant, with 2,51,645 sequences (85.96 per cent) reported.  
 
The development holds significance for India even though coronavirus cases are decreasing in the country. Public health experts claim that the threat of a fresh wave of infections cannot be ruled out.

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"It is very difficult to completely rule out the possibility of fresh wave with this new sub-variant. We just had the third wave driven by Omicron variant and the immunity provided by it might prevent serious infection with sub-variant. Further, high vaccination coverage and Covid-appropriate behaviour may prevent severe damage to lives. There is still a need to be cautious considering the global trend," said Dr Vikas Maurya, HOD and Director, Pulmonology, Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh.

India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 183.26 crore. 
 
Following a continuous downward trend in new cases, India's active caseload declined to 15,859 on Monday, constituting 0.04 per cent of the country's total positive cases. Over 1,270 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. There has been a sustained fall in the weekly and daily positivity rates too. Weekly positivity rate in the country currently stands at 0.26 per cent, while the daily positivity rate is also at 0.29 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

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