SAN JOSE, Calif. — The World Health Organization recently identified at least four lineages, or sub-variants of omicron.
Now, Santa Clara County has two of those lineages affecting residents in the area according to The Mercury News. BA.1 has so far been the most dominant sub-variant of omicron, but two cases of the BA.2 lineage were reported on Tuesday.
County health officials have yet to release an official statement confirming the presence of the sub-variant.
But Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said during a Tuesday virtual town hall with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) they will be learning about the BA.2 lineage in the days and weeks to come.
"We have just a handful, maybe a pair of cases that are a new sub-type of omicron," Cody said. "We don't really know what that means yet."
The UK Health Security Agency reported on Jan. 21 they identified 426 cases of BA.2, with the earliest being dated Dec. 6, 2021. Denmark and India are among the other countries where BA.2 has been found present. Drivers of transmission and other properties of BA.2 are still under investigation, said the World Health Organization.
