Once again, China is witnessing a spike in Covid-19 cases, and the variant is named ‘Stealth Omicron’, the sub variant of Omicron. Above 1300 cases have been registered in the country on Monday, which were transmitted submissively. In the Jilin region, 895 new cases have been registered so far.
Stealth Omicron is a fast spreading variant which seems to be dangerous. The government officials are imposing rules and restrictions in Shanghai and Shenzhen cities. Have a glance at the following information.
What is Stealth Omicron ?
Stealth Omicron is more severe than the original Omicron strain. It is known as BA.2 variant, and regarded as transmissible. It evades the immune response produced by vaccines, more than Omicron. People who infect with Stealth Omicron are likely to infect others for 33% more, when compared to the original. The researchers at Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen University, Statistics Denmark and Technical University of Denmark have conducted the study which evaluated CoronaVirus infection in over 8,500 Danish households between December-January last year.
Are vaccines effective against Stealth Omicron ?
Compared to unvaccinated people, fully vaccinated people and those who received booster shots are less likely to get infected and transmit either subvariants. However, Omicron BA.2 is naturally more transmissible than BA.1 and also exhibits immune-evasive properties that further reduce the protective effect of vaccination against infection.
World Health Organisation described Stealth Omicron :
WHO has declared the Stealth Omicron BA.2 sub variant as ‘variant of concern’. The global health body claimed it will progress to observe the spread of the Stealth Omicron. WHO is also saying that BA.2 is more transmissible and dangerous than BA.1. So, it advises to be more cautious and follow the required Covid-19 protocols, which will be imposed by the governments.