The highly transmissible omicron variant now accounts for almost all COVID-19 cases around the world, but a subvariant ― omicron BA.2 ― has emerged that appears to be even more contagious. Cases of omicron BA.2 are limited in the U.S., but COVID-19 experts at Mayo Clinic say the number is growing, especially overseas.
"In the U.S., we have identified cases in about half of the states, but it's about 1% or less of all of the COVID cases occurring. Now take another country like Denmark, where they had very high immunization rates. About 40% to 50% of their cases are this new BA.2 sublineage, so it's quite variable at this early juncture," says Dr. Gregory Poland, director of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group.
Scientists are tracking the rise in cases of omicron BA.2, which they say is even more contagious than the original omicron variant, which is also known as BA.1.
