Australian health authorities have announced that the "stealth" viral variant of COVID-19, referred to in the media as "Omicron sub-variant," has been detected in several states and territories. This sub-type, BA.2, which is believed to be more transmissible than the original Omicron, has already been observed in over 40 countries. In a statement regarding the "early detection" of the sub-variant on Friday, a spokesperson for the federal health department confirmed that "very few" cases had been found among the respiratory samples submitted for testing. They added that they would "continue to monitor closely."
The emergence of the variant comes amid a rise in COVID-related fatalities in the country, with nearly 200 deaths reported between Friday and Saturday. Among more than 3,600 COVID-related deaths in Australia since the pandemic began, over 1,000 have occurred in the past month, with 500 recorded in just the past week.
Health officials in Victoria reported on Saturday the discovery of "a few cases" as the state recorded 12,250 new infections. The total number of active cases in the state was 79,836, down from 101,605 reported on Friday. Jerone Weimar, the COVID response leader, told reporters that the "Omicron sub-variant" was not a "new variant" but cautioned that "it's still early days to understand exactly how it behaves."
Three cases of the sub-variant have been detected in New South Wales, and one each in Queensland and the Northern Territory, according to state authorities reported by news.com.au. The BA.2 variant has not yet been classified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization, but the UK Health Security Agency has deemed it a variant under investigation.
