The study was conducted from December 27, 2021 to January 11, 2022.
“Analysis of contact tracing data indicates that transmission is likely to be higher among contacts with BA.2 cases (13.4%) than among contacts with other cases (10.3%),” the study says.
Doctors note that while the original subtype of the strain – BA.1 – dominates in the UK, and the proportion of cases of BA.2 is small.
A total of 426 confirmed cases of the BA.2 subtype have been identified, with the earliest dated December 6, 2021. Of this amount, the main part was found in London (146) and in the southeast of the country (97).
“Now we know that BA.2 has an increased spread rate. This pattern is observed in all regions. We also found out that BA.2 has a slightly higher re-infection rate than BA.1,” explained the chief medical adviser of the department. Susan Hopkins.
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