CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A new COVID-19 subvariant has been detected in Illinois.
The new variant is known as the omicron BA.2 subvariant. It was detected over the weekend by experts at Northwestern Medicine’s Center for Pathogen Genomics and Microbial Evolution.
According to Northwestern, the variant was found in an individual who was tested for COVID-19 on Jan. 18. And the arrival comes at no surpise.
“Now the question is whether the new subvariant will extend the tail of cases infected with omicron,” said Ramon Lorenzo-Redondo, the bioinformatics director at CPGME, which is part of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Cases in much of the U.S. have peaked and are declining, but scientists said the case numbers have plateaued in countries where BA.2 is more prevalent.
“If BA.2 follows the same pattern in the U.S. as observed in countries like the United Kingdom, Denmark, or India, we could observe a slowing of the current decline in new cases. In this case, the number of new cases could stabilize for a while before starting to decrease again,” Lorenzo-Redondo said. “It is still too soon to know, because there are still very few BA.2 cases in the U.S.”
The subvariant, also known as “stealth omicron,” carries a number of additional mutations that are thought to make it even more transmissible, Northwestern scientists said.
“It is unclear if the arrival of this new variant will result in a surge of local cases, but it is an important reminder that we are still in the middle of an ongoing pandemic. Vaccinations, booster shots and the proper use of face masks are still the best ways to protect yourself and your loved ones from this virus," said Judd Hultquist, associate director of CPGME.
According to Northwestern, preliminary data shows full vaccination and a booster are similarly effective in preventing symptomatic cases of BA.1 (the most widely spread omicron subvariant) and BA.2. Vaccination without the booster, however, is not as effective against either version of omicron.
Additionally, scientists said although experience in other countries suggests that omicron BA.2 is more transmissible than other versions of the virus, there is no data yet showing that the new subvariant causes more severe disease.
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