New variant can lead to spike in US: Fauci

Washington, March 21

A highly contagious sub-variant of Omicron known as BA.2 could soon lead to another uptick in Covid cases in the US, the country’s top infectious disease expert has warned.

White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr Anthony Fauci said the sub-variant was estimated to account for around 30 per cent of all new cases in the US, and was also the most dominant variant in the country, CNBC reported on Sunday.

Fauci said BA.2 was about 60 per cent more transmissible than Omicron, but it did not appear to be more severe. “It does have an increased transmission capability,” Fauci said on Sunday on ABC’s “This Week”.

The new variant has already caused a surge in cases in China and parts of Europe. — PTI

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