A new sub-variant of the omicron variant of COVID-19, known as BA.2, has been discovered in the U.S. and several other countries.
The three U.S. cases were discovered at at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas.
The WHO recommended Monday that health officials start investigating the strain’s characteristics to determine whether it is “a variant of concern” for countries around the world. In addition to the U.S., BA.2 has been found in the United Kingdom, India, Denmark and other countries.It is unclear where this mutation of omicron first originated or whether the current vaccines on the market are effective against this new strain, but infectious disease specialists say people who have already experienced a breakthrough infection with the initial omicron strain could have “super immunity” against BA.
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