Every time the pandemic seems to be coming to an end, something new always happens and that’s the case with the Omicron variant which now had an emerging sub-variant called the BA.2.

According to the World Health Organization, the emerging BA.2 subvariant of Omicron doesn’t seem to be any more severe compared to the original BA.1 form.

In fact, the organization made it known that vaccines will continue to provide similar protection against the different forms of omicron, said Dr. Boris Pavlin of the WHO’s COVID-19 Response Team, in an online briefing.

The new comment came as a result of the BA.2 subvariant which is reportedly replacing the so-called “original” BA.1 subvariant in countries such as Denmark.

According to data from the country, BA.2 overtook BA.1 even though there appears to be no difference in disease severity, although BA.2 is said to have the potential of replacing BA.1 globally according to Pavlin.

“Looking at other countries where BA.2 is now overtaking, we’re not seeing any higher bumps in hospitalization than expected,” he said.

The BA.2 “subvariant” is more transmissible compared to the first BA.1 and it’s more able to infect vaccinated people, according to a Danish study that analyzed infections in over 8,500 Danish households between the month of December and January.

The subvariant is already becoming dominant in the Philippines, Nepal, Qatar, India, and Denmark, Pavlin said.

He added: “Vaccination is profoundly protective against severe disease, including for Omicron. BA.2 is rapidly replacing BA.1. Its impact is unlikely to be substantial, although more data are needed.”