Amid the recent developments of the COVID-19 virus, especially with the emergence of new variants and a significant rise in cases worldwide, epidemiologists have placed a subvariant of Omicron known as BA.2 under surveillance.
The World Health Organization (WHO) clarified that Omicron is a general term referring indiscriminately to several similar strains of the virus. They revealed that the subvariant "BA.2," which has recently become dominant, has surprised many, particularly in India and Denmark. Scientists are now eager to understand the reasons behind the rapid spread of this new subvariant, although they believe its symptoms are not more severe than those of the well-known Omicron strain.
It is worth noting that the WHO has warned that COVID-19 is not over, following the recording of new record-high infection numbers in the last 24 hours. They cautioned about the dangers of underestimating the new Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, despite its mild symptoms. Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiology expert and WHO's technical lead for COVID-19, stated on Thursday that the recent questions about the dangers of avoiding the widely distributed Omicron variant are extremely serious and deserve answers.
She added, according to "Al Arabiya Net," that the strong desire to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is primarily due to the continued possibility of severe and dangerous cases, especially among those with chronic or serious illnesses, the elderly, and those who have not been vaccinated. Consequently, an infected individual may ultimately face death. Since its emergence in China in December 2019, COVID-19 has caused at least 5,537,051 deaths worldwide. However, the WHO estimates that the total number of deaths could be two to three times higher, considering the excess mortality associated with the pandemic.
