The BA.2 subvariant of the omicron coronavirus variant, which is dominant in Denmark, appears more contagious than the more common BA.1 sub-lineage, Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said on Wednesday in a national address.
Currently, the BA.1 accounts for 98 percent of all cases globally but in Denmark has been pushed aside by BA.2.
“There is no evidence that the BA.2 variant causes more disease, but it must be more contagious,” Heunicke told a news conference.
The UK Health Security Agency has designated BA.2 a variant under investigation, saying it could have a growth advantage.
Preliminary calculations suggest BA.2 could be 1.5 times more infectious than BA.1, Denmark’s top infectious disease authority, Statens Serum Institut (SSI), said in a note on Wednesday.
However, an initial analysis by the institute showed no difference in the risk of hospitalisation for BA.2 compared to BA.1
