GENEVA, Switzerland: According to the World Health Organization, the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron is likely to spread internationally, but it is unknown whether it will induce re-infection among persons infected with the original Omicron strain.

The WHO's Covid-19 technical head, Maria Van Kerkhove, says that the BA.2 sub-variant, which is more communicable than the currently dominant BA.1 type, will likely become more widespread.

"Because BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1, we expect to see more BA.2 detection around the world," Van Kerkhove said during a live streamed question and answer session on WHO's social media channels on Tuesday. According to Van Kerkhove, the WHO is monitoring BA.2 to see if the subvariant causes an increase in new infections in countries where omicron cases spiked and subsequently dropped sharply. While more research is needed, she emphasised that there is no evidence of a difference in the severity of infections produced by each subvariant.

Although Omicron spreads quicker than the Alpha and Delta forms, it is known to cause only minor infections. BA.2 is 1.5 times more transmissible than BA.1, according to Danish researchers, and it is more capable of infecting those who have been vaccinated or even boosted. Those who have been fully vaccinated, on the other hand, are less likely to spread it than those who have not been fully vaccinated.

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