The BA.2 coronavirus variant — a subvariant strain of the omicron variant — has become the most dominant COVID-19 strain in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Details: The CDC said that the BA.2 variant now represents 54.9% of all new COVID-19 infections in the United States.
- The Northeast region of the United States is getting hit hard by the new variant. In fact, more than 70% of Northeast cases are tied to the BA.2 subvariant.
- The South and Mountain West have not seen a high amount of cases, accounting for about one-third of COVID-19 infections, per CNN.
The bigger picture: The BA.2 subvariant is now the dominant COVID-19 strain worldwide, according to Reuters.
- The variant has been causing cases in Asia and Europe as of late.
- BA.2 has been considered more transmissible compared to other coronavirus variants, including its cousin, the omicron variant.
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The bottom line: “As with the other variants in the Omicron family, vaccines are less effective against BA.2 than against previous variants like Alpha or the original strain of coronavirus, and protection declines over time,” per Reuters.