Sub-variant BA.2 of the Omikron variant, which has recently spread rapidly, especially in Denmark, does not "cause a more serious form" of COVID-19 than variant BA.1, said an epidemic expert from the World He alth Organization (WHO) Maria Van Kerkhove.
"We do not see a difference in the severity of cases between BA.1 and BA.2, so this is a similar level in terms of the risk of hospitalization," assured Kerkhove.
The expert emphasized that such conclusions "are really important because in many countries there is a significant number of infections with both the BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants".
The first samples with BA.2 were tested in the Philippines last month. However, it is still unclear where the sub-variant first appeared.
According to WHO information, the Omikron variant is divided into three sub-variants - BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3.