CDC: ‘Stealth omicron’ now dominant variant in the U.S.
This 2020 electron micrsocope image made available by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows a Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 particle isolated from a patient, in a laboratory in Fort Detrick, Md. Coronaviruses, including the newest one, are named for the spikes that cover their outer surface like a crown, or corona in Latin. Using those club-shaped spikes, the virus latches on to the outer wall of a human cell, invades it and replicates, creating viruses to hijack more cells. (NIAID/NIH via AP)
BA. 2, the highly contagious omicron subvariant, is now the dominant COVID-19 strain in the U.S., according to data from the CDC.
Numbers show the subvariant, also known as “stealth omicron,” accounted for nearly 55% of all new COVID-19 infections last week.
BA. 2 accounts for more than 70% of cases in the Northeast.
The South and Mountain West regions of the U.S. are seeing fewer BA. 2 cases.
Stealth omicron is the dominant strain worldwide and has led to higher coronavirus surges in some countries.
The World Health Organization has reported there is no difference in severity between the original omicron variant and BA.2.
However, BA.2 is more difficult to detect in PCR tests.
