Singapore reports more infectious BA.2 Omicron variant

Singapore: Singapore has recently reported 198 cases of Covid-19 traced to the BA.2 Omicron sub-lineage, which appears to be more infectious than the more common BA.1, but hospitals are coping well in spite of the current wave infecting thousands of people daily, according to reports.

A total of 150 BA.2 cases were imported infections and the remaining 48 were local cases since January 25, 2022, the TODAY newspaper reported.

Investigations into the characteristics of BA.2, including immune escape properties and virulence, should be prioritised independently (and comparatively) to



BA.1, said the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The BA.2 Omicron sub-lineage differs from BA.1 in some of the mutations, including in the spike protein, the WHO wrote on its website.  The BA.2 sub-lineage has been detected in more than 50 countries, most notably in Denmark and the UK as of Friday.

Meanwhile, Singapore reported 5,554 new COVID-19 cases, including 282 imported infections, and three deaths as of noon on Friday.

Singapore has so far recorded 338,625 cases since the start of the pandemic.