MIAMI (WSVN) - Two cases of a new, highly contagious subvariant of the omicron variant have been reported in Miami-Dade County, according to new findings.
The two cases, identified Friday by Premier Medical Laboratory Services through Next Generation Sequencing, are the first reported for Miami-Dade County.
The BA.2 subvariant has been dubbed “stealth omicron” because it is difficult to detect as a mutation by PCR-based testing, the most common testing method for COVID-19.
“It’s very, very contagious. We can’t let our guard down,” said Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert with Florida International University.
Marty further explained how stealth omicron differs from its predecessor.
“The omicron that came around first had a little defect that made it very easy for us to quickly tell that it was omicron and not a different variant,” she said. “This one doesn’t have that. It has a different set of mutations in that region. In fact, it has quite a lot of different mutations from omicron.”
Here’s the catch: patients who had omicron can still catch the stealth subvariant.
Thankfully, it doesn’t appear to be any more dangerous.
“So far, the data seems to show that it’s about the same level of severity as omicron,” said Marty.
As for how to avoid the possibility of becoming seriously ill, experts said, the same preventative measures apply.
“Being vaccinated protects you and reduces your risk to others,” said Marty.
The new variant pops up in South Florida up at the same time the U.S. COVID death toll reaches 900,000, less than two months after it hit 800,000.
“It is completely tragic. This country has the highest per capita rate of death of any wealthy country in the world, and that never needed to happen,” said Marty, “and it’s mostly because there is this unfortunate amount of misinformation.”
As for anyone out there who feels the goalpost just keeps moving or has COVID fatigue, Marty said she understands their frustration, but added that we will beat this pandemic.
“In scientific fields, you gather the data, and you do the best you can with the information, and as the information changes, you adjust until you get to that entire picture of what’s going on,” she said, “but even though it seems like we’re not getting ahead, in fact we are.”
According to PMLS, Florida now has four total reported cases of BA.2 in the state.
Experts predict the COVID death toll in the U.S. could climb to one million in March, but the best way to prevent the spread of the virus is to get vaccinated.
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