The UK Health Safety Agency (UHSA) on Friday named the Omicron subvariant as the “study variant”, saying it was highly contagious and could be spread further.

Called BA.2, this sub-version has not yet been designated as “Worrying”.

“It is in the nature of the virus to evolve and mutate, so it can be expected that we will continue to see new forms emerge,” said Dr Meera Chand, UKHSA’s Events Director.

“Our ongoing genomic surveillance allows us to detect these variants and assess whether they are significant,” she said.

While 426 confirmed cases of BA.2 have been detected in the UK, UKHSA said initial analyzes suggest the variant was more contagious than the original Omicron.

According to the UKHSA, around 40 countries have reported BA.2 cases, most of which have been reported in Denmark, India, the UK, Sweden and Singapore.

In Denmark, this sub-version would account for 45% of new cases of contamination recorded during the second week of 2022, compared to only 20% during the last week of 2021.

Anders Fomsgaard, a researcher at the Statens Serum Institute in Denmark, said the very rapid spread of the subvariant remains unexplained.

“This population may be more resistant to immunity, which allows it to infect more,” he told TV2.

Earlier this month, Israel confirmed that it had detected 20 confirmed cases of the BA.2 subvariant.