Health Officials react to BA.2 “Stealth” Omicron variant,

SALISBURY, Md- A new covid 19 variant, an offshoot of the Omicron variant is now the most infectious viral disease in history. The BA.2 variant has already been detected in Europe and the United States and is 50 percent more transmissible than the Omicron variant.  Health officials say the variant is actually milder than the original Omicron, but that could still lead to a surge in cases.

“If we look at the original strain of omicron it was 700 percent more transmissible, we went from 2,000 cases a day up to 15,000 cases, but our mortality rate only doubled so it was milder, but that still meant more people, mostly unvaccinated, coming in and dying in our hospitals,” said TidalHealth Peninsula Regional VP of Clinical Integration Dr. Jim Trumble.

Dr. Trumble tells us, that a high degree of transmission and number of cases from the original omicron strain, may actually help protect against future variants that are on offshoot, as antibodies from vaccines, boosters, infection or all the above would help to increase the bodies defenses. He says, that protection would have a limited effect if a new, non-omicron-based variant were to arrive.

“At any point, a new mutation or new variant could come along that’s unrelated and cast all that aside so the big concern around herd immunity is,  as long as it stays consistent with the omicron variant chances are we will see some level of herd immunity going forward,’ he said.

He tells us clinical research in Denmark and the United Kingdom, where the variant is spreading the most, is already underway and hopes to see just how effective the herd immunity proved to be at reducing cases and negative health outcomes.

Dr.Trumble says TidalHealth Penninsula Regional is currently experiencing its lowest number of covid patients, and new infections in months with just 23 patients currently in the hospital as confirmed Covid-19 cases.