The first Alaska case of BA.2 was detected in early January, according to state data. By mid-February, more than a third of Alaska cases were the BA.2 subvariant.
A researcher at a University of Alaska Anchorage lab prepares samples for sequencing — the process that scientists use to detect specific strains of the virus that causes COVID-19. Speaking on Talk of Alaska
“Probably about a quarter of the cases are BA.2 now in the U.S.,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a little bit higher in Alaska.” “This strain is about 30 percent more transmissible than the BA.1 strain, but it’s not more virulent,” McLaughlin said. “And it doesn’t appear to be more capable of evading prior immunity through vaccination or prior infection.”McLaughlin said people who have already contracted the BA.1 subvariant of omicron have more immunity to BA.2.
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