BA.2, the newest subvariant of omicron, is highly transmissible and accounts for 55% of COVID-19 infections in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"It has been classified as a variant of concern, and it's causing the majority of cases of COVID worldwide and here in the United States. The studies that have been done on this variant have shown that it has what we call a 'growth advantage,'" says Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. "In other words, it has a higher transmission rate over prior variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19."
While the BA.2 variant is extremely contagious, don't call it a "stealth variant," says Dr. Binnicker.
