COVID sub-variant BA.2 is now the predominant circulating the strain in the United States. Joe Gastaldo, MD, System Medical Director for Infectious Diseases discusses six things you should about BA.2.
- Symptoms of BA.2 tend to be similar to the ones of other variants, such as a runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever. At this time, it seems to be similar and its level of severity to BA.1.
- BA.2 is highly contagious. It can spread even more aggressively than previous variants, including the original strain of Omicron.
- It is possible that BA.2 could cause another surge. Experts are closely monitoring signs of increasing cases and hospitalizations around the world. Dr. Gastaldo’s personal opinion is that BA.2 will not cause the same type of surge that we had from this past winter.
- The fact that the United States was hit hard by the original Omicron variant along with vaccination is very likely to help prevent the surge.
- Just like with the previous strains, if you are not immunocompromised and are up to date with your vaccine status, including having at least one booster, you are far less likely to develop severe disease or experience hospitalization.
- If you already had Omicron, you have some general protection against BA.2. However, you could still get infected again.
Want to learn more about common COVID-19 questions? Check our Fast Facts page.
