BA.2 Version of Omicron Discovered in 18.4% Samples in Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, the BA.2 Sub variant of Omicron was pinpointed in 18.4 percent of the samples sequenced in the state from January to March 2022.

It is to be noted that the BA.2 sub-variant is driving the Covid-19 cases in the UK. The genomic analysis on the samples also found that the sub-variant BA.1.1 was identified in 43 per cent of the samples while the BA.1 sub-variant was found in 37.3 per cent of the samples.

Coronavirus Omicron Variant: An Update
In an interview with Medindia, Dr. Subramanian Swaminathan, a specialist in infectious diseases, talks about the rising cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus.

‘The health department also said that Omicron was the dominant variant in circulation in the state. The Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) at the State Public Health Laboratory showed that 93 percent of the 496 variants sequenced in the state were of Omicron variant.’

The study also showed that 6.6 per cent of the samples sequenced in the state were of Delta variant.

Tamil Nadu health secretary, J. Radhakrishnan while speaking to IANS said, "The Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) data was not meant to create any panic among the people. This is however to sensitise the people about the BA.2 variant."

He also said that Tamil Nadu did not have much clinical difference between the two variants and said that people need to be cautious as in the last week several countries have recorded an increase in cases.

Black Pepper as Preventive Measure Against Omicron
Adding black pepper in the Kada may help render protection against the Omicron flu with the surge of the third wave of COVID-19.

Source-IANS

Highly Mutated New Strain of Coronavirus `IHU' Stirs Fear Beyond Omicron
New COVID-19 variant — ‘IHU’ has been discovered in France that raises concerns for another wave of the pandemic.

Omicron Subvariant Infections Double In United States
Each week, in the United States, the cases of a highly transmissible Omicron subvariant were doubling, revealed CDC.