Could the “BA.2” strain, cousin of Omicron, give another twist to the fifth wave in Belgium?

Could this sub-variant of Omicron complicate the way out of the crisis? “BA.2” is in any case under the magnifying glass of epidemiologists and is causing a rebound of the fifth wave in certain countries.

With Omicron, the positive signals are numerous. The first concerns the situation in intensive care units where the pressure is much less. With 367 beds occupied, there is indeed a 10% drop in patients in one week. “In terms of hospitalizations, the percentage of patients who are transferred to intensive care has fallen sharply., underlines the virologist Steven Van Gucht. It is around 1 in 10 currently compared to 1 in 4 during the third wave last April for example, so there is a big difference despite the high number of conventional hospital admissions”.