COVID-19 Subvariant Arrives In CA: 5 Things To Know

CALIFORNIA — Another COVID-19 subvariant is making its way across California, arriving right as the state lifts some of its last remaining pandemic restrictions.

The subvariant designated BA.2 is the latest variety of the omicron variant, which became the dominant version of COVID-19 during California's most recent surge. BA.2's origins are still unclear, but it has quickly asserted dominance in many countries, including India, Denmark and South Africa.

The strain is also responsible for a recent surge of cases in Europe, as well as spikes in some East Coast cities in the U.S.

Here's what you need to know about the subvariant's presence in the Golden State.

1. How Contagious Is BA.2?

The newly identified subvariant is considered to be more transmissible, but it's not expected to cause more severe illness than the delta variant, according to a preliminary study from Statens Serum Institute in Denmark.

BA.2 was first detected along with omicron in December. After more than three months, it's only accounted for fewer than 25 percent of cases, according to a news release from the University of California, Los Angeles.

"The increasing presence of the highly transmissible BA.2 subvariant in many regions of this country reminds us that we need to remain vigilant and prepared for the possibility of more cases in the near future," Los Angeles Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement.

2. Could The Subvariant Trigger Another Surge?

Over the weekend, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, President Joe Biden's chief medical advisor, warned the virus is likely to lead to an increase in cases nationwide but not necessarily another surge.

Although cases were falling rapidly in California, a slight uptick in hospitalizations was observed in Riverside and San Diego counties, reversing a downward trend. But it's unclear if BA.2 was driving those cases.

Shangxin Yang, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, urged Californians not to overreact to a potential spike in cases.

"This is normal and we shouldn’t be too concerned about it,” Yang said, according to a news release from UCLA. "For those who are not yet boosted, go get boosted. For those who are not vaccinated, go get vaccinated. If we have a very general practice of behavior, we can do just fine."

BA.2 cases are rising steadily, making up 23 percent of all cases in the U.S. as of early March. But scientists were still debating whether BA.2 will cause another surge in the U.S.

Dr. Kimberly Shriner, an infectious disease specialist at Huntington Hospital, told Patch last week that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine could contribute to worldwide spread.

"There's this BA.2 variant of omicron that's circulating in Denmark, and what worries me a lot in that situation is with all of this movement of people out of Ukraine into Eastern Europe," she said. "Understandably, you don't have time to put a mask on when you're going to have a bomb dropped on your head.

"With the movement of all these people crammed together, you can have another surge," she said.

READ MORE: 'A Terrible Cost': CA Marks 2 Years With COVID-19

3. How Is It Different From The Original Omicron Variant?

The difference between the original omicron variant, BA.1, and the subvariant, BA.2, is "extremely small," according to researchers at UCLA.

"Fundamentally, I don’t see much different [between] BA.1 and BA.2," he said.

The biggest difference is that the new subvariant is likely to be more contagious.

"I think the main problem with BA.2 is even more transmission," Troels Lillebaek, a molecular epidemiologist at the State Serum Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, told Nature.com. "You risk even more people testing positive within a short time, putting strain on the hospital system."

4. How Effective Are Vaccines Against BA.2?

Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were shown to be 70 to 80 percent effective at preventing hospitalization or death. That effectiveness increased to more than 90 percent after a booster shot, according to early studies.

A recent preliminary study that has not yet been peer reviewed of more than 1 million individuals in Qatar also suggested that two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines protected against symptomatic infection from BA.1 and BA.2 for several months before waning in effectiveness to around 10 percent. But a booster shot elevated protection again close to original levels.

5. How Worried Do Californians Need To Be About BA.2?

Counties may see an uptick of BA.2 infections in the next few months, but people who were fully vaccinated or had a previous infection will have protective immunity that could strengthen defense against severe disease.

The biggest concern among health officials was that the U.S. lagged behind other countries when it comes to vaccination rates, despite having one of the world's most robust arsenals of shots.

The U.S. is even further behind in administering booster shots. The nation lagged behind Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Australia and more, The New York Times reported.

"I think we are just much better equipped to deal with whatever is thrown at us now," Shriner said of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, health professionals urged Californians to proceed with caution, even as the state further shed pandemic restrictions.

On April 1, Californians will no longer be required to show a vaccination card or negative test result to enter a large indoor concert or events with 1,000 people or more.

Last month, California dropped its indoor mask mandate at most places except for high-transmission settings such as hospitals and public transportation.

The state also dropped masking mandates in most places for unvaccinated people last month. The announcement came as students gained the ability to unmask in classrooms for the first time in two years.

"Waiting until we start seeing increases in cases is not optimal, since once there are more people testing positive, there is already more community transmission," Ferrer said.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on the Los Angeles Patch