COVID-19: Omicron subvariant BA.2 detected in Romania

The BA.2 subvariant of Omicron, which is believed to be more transmissible, has also been detected in Romania. According to the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) weekly report published on February 1, 13 cases of the BA.2 form were confirmed in the country.

A total of 1,146 cases of infection with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 were confirmed by January 30 in Romania, and the BA.2 subvariant was detected in 13 of these cases, according to the report quoted by Digi24.

Currently, the emerging subvariant is circulating in Romania in parallel with the Delta variant and the original Omicron variant, which is now dominant.

Health minister Alexandru Rafila said this new subvariant could also spread in Romania. “It is possible for it to spread in Romania as well, but, in terms of public health, as long as it does not cause a more serious disease, I do not think there will be problems related to this form,” he said, according to News.ro.

The BA.2 subvariant, which studies say is more contagious than the more common BA.1, is currently present in several countries. According to data from the World Health Organization quoted by The Independent, the BA.2 form has now been found in 57 countries.

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