The omicron BA.2 sub-variant is circulating more than ever in Belgium. In fact, more than 92.7% of new cases of coronavirus identified are currently due to the latter. But how is it different from the first Omicron variant? In reality, the main symptoms are quite similar: headaches, sneezing, runny nose, sore throat and fatigue. Among the rarest symptoms, we can note fever, loss of appetite, nausea, breathing problems or muscle pain.
The big difference with the BA.1 sub-variant is the degree of contagiousness, indeed, BA.2 is much more transmissible. A study published by Public Health France nevertheless estimates that the retransmission interval (ie the time between two cases) of BA.2 is 15% lower than that of BA.1. These differences in transmissibility explain the fact that the omicron BA.2 subvariant has widely gained ground all over the world.
It should also be noted that BA.2 does not “cause a more severe form” of the coronavirus than the BA.1 subvariant and that vaccine efficacy is still guaranteed against Omicron after the administration of a booster dose.