BA.2 Omicron strain now accounts for one-third of cases in the US. Global update in 10 points

The BA.2 sub-variant of Covid-19 is more transmissible than the already infectious omicron strain, the World Health Organization said Thursday as several nations face a spike in cases.

Dubbed ‘stealth omicron’ because it presents with fewer symptoms, the sub-variant is believed to be driving increasing caseloads in several nations, notably China, Hong Kong and in Europe. It does not, however, seem to cause a more severe disease and early data shows antibodies from omicron infection protect against reinfection with BA.2, the WHO said.

Here are some top Covid-19 updates:

> About one-in-three Covid-19 cases in the United States are now caused by the BA.2, or ‘stealth’ sub-variant of the omicron strain of the coronavirus, Reuters reported citing government data.

> In the northeastern parts of the US, including New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts, BA.2 now makes up more than half the cases, according to data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

> The US is registering an average of 28,600 cases per day – well below the peak of more than 800,000 average daily infections seen in January.

>China has stepped up restrictions in a bid to tackle the spread of the disease. The mainland reported 2,010 locally transmitted cases Thursday, ANI reported quoting the National Health Commission.

> South Korea’s total infections have topped 10 million, or nearly 20 per cent of its population, authorities said, as surging severe cases and deaths increasingly put a strain on crematories and funeral homes nationwide, reported Reuters.

> Daily confirmed new cases in Japan more than doubled to 40,928 on Wednesday from a day earlier, reversing a fall in the past week. The number of deaths also rose for a second day to 122 cases, Bloomberg reported.

> Singapore is moving ahead with a plan to significantly ease longstanding curbs, lifting most restrictions for fully vaccinated visitors and a requirement to wear masks outdoors, said prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.

>”Wearing a mask outdoors will now be optional,” Lee Hsien Loong said, “This is because the risk of outdoor transmission is significantly lower. But indoors, masks will still be mandatory.”

> Moderna said its Covid-19 vaccine produced a strong immune response in children under the age of six in initial results from a large final-stage trial that showed modest effectiveness in reducing omicron infections.

> Vaccine passports will probably become redundant as more people are inoculated against Covid and efforts to create a common standard are stymied by differing entry requirements, the head of the world’s biggest airline alliance said on Thursday.