Scientists report new strain of Omicron

Scientists have discovered a new variation of the omicron strain of coronavirus, called BA.2.

It is more difficult to recognize than BA.1, the original omicron strain of coronavirus.

According to John Brownstein, a specialist at Boston Children's Hospital at Harvard University, conventional tests for coronavirus give positive or negative results, but do not identify the strain of the virus.

According to him, the omicron strain has a genetic feature that makes it easy to diagnose. However, the new BA.2 strain does not have this characteristic, so it is harder to recognize than BA.1.

According to Abc news, Brownstein also noted that the BA.2 strain can be identified using genetic sequencing technology.

In this case, patients only need to do an express or PCR test for the presence of the coronavirus. These tests will indicate an infection in the body regardless of its type.

A new strain of the omicron, BA.2, was detected by the U.K. Health Protection Agency on 21 January. So far, the proportion of people infected with this strain is small.

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