Though COVID cases have already peaked in some countries in Asia and Europe, experts are now tracking rising cases of Omicron’s closest cousin known as BA.2, which has started to outcompete BA.1 even in the United States.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), BA.1, or simply Omicron, has been accounted for 98.8/ subsequent cases of COVID-19, but several countries have reported a steady rise of the BA.2 also known as Stealth Omicron.
Medical scientists also reported that Stealth Omicron is 1.5/ more contagious and transmissible to one person to another, though it likely does not cause more severe diseases.
WHO also confirmed that the Stealth Omicron variant is present in at least 40 countries and it is able to evade detection even better than its predecessor.
While PCR tests have been the standard during the pandemic when it comes to detecting COVID-19, even they might not able to detect Stealth Omicron in those who have it.
Despite this, PCR testing is till the recommended way to detect this subvariant and BA.2 is not believed to have greater virulence than the original Omicron.
The symptoms, as stated by WHO, are almost identical to those of the original Omicron. Fever, extreme fatigue, coughing, sore throat, sore head, muscular fatigue and an elevated heart rate.
Meanwhile, although Philippines have not yet recorded any case of the Stealth Omicron variant, cases continue to soar high with 3,560,202 accounted cases, 54,003 deaths and 3,315,381 recovered as of Tuesday, February 1.