Contagious COVID-19 subvariant of omicron found in Yolo County

YOLO COUNTY, Calif. — Yolo County has detected four COVID-19 cases of a new, highly-contagious subvariant of omicron, health officials said. It is known as the BA.2 subvariant.

"It is likely that there are more than four cases. If we've already found four cases, there's likely already community spread," said John Fout, public information officer for Yolo County.

The subvariant is believed to be 1.5 times more contagious than the original omicron COVID-19 strain.

In order to determine if this could mean another surge in COVID-19 cases, scientists are looking into whether someone who was already infected with the omicron variant would have some protection against the BA.2 subvariant.

"We've already had some reports from Denmark, for example, that people have had the original omicron infection and then, a month later, they get infected with this variant," said Dr. Dean Blumberg with UC Davis Health.

Something else that may be unusual, he said, when it comes to the BA.2 subvariant is trends in hospitalizations.

"In Denmark, half of the hospitalizations are in those 40 years of age or younger. So, there may be a predisposition to infect younger people, so that's something we're going to have to keep a close eye out on," Dr. Blumberg said.

However, he said early data shows vaccines are about as effective against the subvariant as the original omicron variant.

"There's still excellent protection against severe illnesses, hospitalization or even death," Dr. Blumberg explained.

In addition to vaccinations, health experts recommend wearing high-quality face masks, like N95 masks.

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Source: KCRA News

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