SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – LSU Health Shreveport has detected a type of the omicron variant not found in northwest Louisiana until now.
The Center for Emerging Viral Threats at LSUHS found every sample sequenced in their latest report was of the omicron variant. One of those samples was found to be the BA.2 sublineage. Although BA.2 is the most dominant of the omicron variants in the United States, this is the first time it has been found in north Louisiana.
Three kinds of the omicron variant exist as of Feb; BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3. Research is ongoing as the mutations develop, but initial data shows that BA.2 may cause more severe symptoms than BA.1.
“Early studies from a Japanese lab that have not yet undergone peer review indicate BA.2 may cause more severe disease than the BA.1 sublineage. In these early studies, the antigenicity is also different between the two lineages of Omicron, meaning that it is possible BA.2 may interact differently with the host immune system,” said Ph.D., Director of Viral Genomics and Surveillance for the Center of Excellence for Emerging Viral Threats at LSUHS Krista Queen. “These are early data and must be interpreted with caution, but they provide potential valuable insight about BA.2.”
According to the CDC, new variants are expected to occur. The CDC and other public health organizations monitor the development and spread of new variants when they appear. Variants that spread more quickly or easily than others and can strain the healthcare system or cause more deaths are noted as ‘variants of concern’.
“The good news is that we have the resources within the Center of Emerging Viral Threats to sequence SARS-CoV-2 genomes,” said Queen. “Without this, our genomic surveillance efforts in north Louisiana would not be as successful.
New cases of BA.2 have increased lately in Denmark and South Africa but LSUHS says they are still relatively low in the U.S.
