Stealth Omicron: What is The Fast Spreading Omicron BA.2 Sub-Variant That Can Escape RT-PCR Test?
New Delhi A newsub-strain of the Omicron variant of coronavirus has been detected in over 40 countries and it can escape indeed the RT-PCR test, the UK has said. The BA.2sub-strain, generally called the “ covert Omicron”, has given way to fears of a stronger surge across Europe. So what’s this Omicronsub-variant and how dangerous is it? Then’s what we know so far According to the World Health Organisation, the Omicron variant has threesub-strains — BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3. While the BA.1sub-strain is dominant among the Omicron infections reported across the world, the BA.2sub-strain is being said to spread snappily. It has been plant in a substantial bit in India as the Covid-19 peak is likely to come in the coming fortnight
Omicron is now in community transmission in India and has come dominant in multiple metros, where new cases have been rising exponentially. BA.2 lineage is in a substantial bit in India and S gene powerhouse grounded webbing is therefore likely to give high false negatives,” the INSACOG said While the BA.1sub-strain may escape RT-PCR tests occasionally, experts say these tests are still the gold standard in detecting the contagion. “ Lab RT-PCR test is the gold standard test and there’s no difference in the perceptivity or pick-up rate between Omicron or the former Delta while using this test. The over 30 mutations in the shaft protein in the Omicron variant don’t make any difference in perceptivity using the presently available testing accoutrements,” Dr Harsh Mahajan, MD and author, Chief Radiologist, Mahajan Imaging told India Today.
Countries that have detected cases of ‘stealth Omicron’
Piecemeal from the UK and Denmark, cases of BA.2sub-strain have been detected in Sweden, Norway, and India. Scientists in India and France have also advised about thesub-strain, stewing it might outpace the BA.1sub-strain. The UK had linked 53 sequences of the BA.2sub-lineage as of January 10, with streamlined numbers due to be published latterly on Friday.
Is ‘stealth Omicron’ a cause of concern?
According to experimenters, indeed as the BA.2sub-strain shares 32 strains with BA.1, there may be further than 28 unique mutations to it, read a report in Fortune. Experimenters say that BA.1, has a mutation — the omission in the “ S” or shaft gene — that shows up on PCR tests, making the discovery of Omicron easy. BA.2, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same mutation which makes it delicate to descry.
“ Still, the BA.2sub-lineage lacks this omission in the shaft so that it can be picked by the use of utmost of the PCR accoutrements being in use for the RT-PCR tests. This new sublineage BA.2 is called‘ covert Omicron’because it lacks the omission that allows it to be picked up by PCR tests. BA.2 appears to be the major Omicron lineage in corridor of India and the Philippines and there’s substantiation it’s growing compared to BA.1 in Denmark, the UK and Germany,” Prof Sunit K Singh was quoted as saying by India Today.
