CHICAGO (CBS) — The first confirmed case of the BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron COVID-19 variant has been detected in Illinois.
The case was found over the weekend by Northwestern Medicine’s Center for Pathogen Genomics and Microbial Evolution. The person who was infected tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 18.
READ MORE: Proposed One Way Street On Chicago’s North Side ‘Going To Affect Businesses’, According To Business Owner
COVID-19 researcher Ramon Lorenzo-Redondo with Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine said last week that the subvariant is a “sibling” of the original Omicron variant.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said last week: “It’s a slight variation in terms of what is being picked up, but I want to be really, really clear. It has not even been classified as a variant of interest yet.”
Dr. Arwady explained that there are levels of classification: First is a “variant of interest.” Second is a “variant of concern” and third – which so far has not been used – is a “variant of high consequence.”
In a news release on Monday, Dr. Lorenzo-Redondo said the question now is what this will mean for case numbers – which have peaked and are declining in much of the U.S.
READ MORE: Chicago Weather Alert: Winter Storm Warning Taking Effect For Parts Of Area Tuesday Night; 6+ Inches Of Snow Possible By Thursday
“Now the question is whether the new subvariant will extend the tail of cases infected with omicron,” he said.
In countries where BA.2 is more prevalent, cases have plateaued rather than declined.
“If BA.2 follows the same pattern in the U.S. as observed in countries like the United Kingdom, Denmark or India, we could observe a slowing of the current decline in new cases. In this case, the number of new cases could stabilize for a while before starting to decrease again,” Lorenzo-Redondo said in their release. “It is still too soon to know because there are still very few BA.2 cases in the U.S.”
Experts also noted that BA.2 is believed to be more transmissible.
MORE NEWS: Former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke Set To Be Released From Prison, Much To Disappointment Of Activists And Laquan McDonald’s Family
“BA.2 is a specific variant of omicron that carries a number of additional mutations that are thought to make it even more transmissible,” Judd Hultquist, associate director of CPGME, said in the release. “It is unclear if the arrival of this new variant will result in a surge of local cases, but it is an important reminder that we are still in the middle of an ongoing pandemic. Vaccinations, booster shots and the proper use of face masks are still the best ways to protect yourself and your loved ones from this virus.”
For all the latest Health News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
