FILE PHOTO: A computer image created by Nexu Science Communication together with Trinity College in Dublin, shows a model structurally representative of a betacoronavirus which is the type of virus linked to COVID-19, shared with Reuters on February 18, 2020. NEXU Science Communication/via REUTERS
MANILA, Philippines — An infectious disease expert and a member of the country’s Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP) believes that the “stealth” Omicron or the BA.2 sub-lineage may not cause a more severe disease than the original lineage of the said variant.
According to Dr. Rontgene Solante, the difference between the original Omicron lineage called BA.1 and the “stealth” sub-lineage called BA.2 is “basically” the number of mutations.
“The difference is the number of mutations. With Omicron, the BA.1 has like 60 plus mutations, the Omicron BA.2 has like 85 mutations. That’s why in some of these articles before, it was called a stealth Omicron because it was not readily detected with the test and you need sequencing in order for you to identify specific mutations,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel on Wednesday.
“That is basically the only difference—the mutations. For the behavior of the virus, if it is causing more severe or is it more severe than Omicron, I do not think so. For those who are afraid it will evade immunity for those vaccinated, I don’t think it will evade immunity,” he added.
The Department of Health (DOH) earlier confirmed that the BA.2 sub-lineage of Omicron is now “predominant in most regions” in the country. However, the health agency said its clinical presentation is not significantly different from the BA.1.
Solante added that the BA.2 sub-lineage may not cause a more severe disease than the Delta variant.
“If you recover from an Omicron infection, I think your antibody against that will still protect you against that [BA.2] variant or lineage. I don’t think it can cause a more severe disease compared to Delta,” he said.
British authorities have earlier identified hundreds of cases of the BA.2 sub-lineage, with international data suggesting that it could spread relatively quickly. The UK Health Security Agency had designated the BA.2 sub-lineage as a variant under investigation.