Omicron sublineage identified in central Illinois

Posted on February 28, 2022
Kelsey Carter, left, molecular lab tech, and Lindsey Margewich, right, lead molecular lab tech, loading a cartridge for a sequencing run into the Illumina NextSeq. (Photo courtesy Reditus Labs)

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – An omicron subvariant has been identified in central Illinois.

It’s called BA.2 and two cases were identified by Reditus Labs in Pekin, according to a news release.

“It’s amazing to see how quickly this virus keeps mutating,” said Reditus CEO Dr. Aaron Rossi. “Hopefully, it will continue down this pathway of being less pathogenic, meaning individuals aren’t getting as sick and there will be fewer hospitalizations.”

Dr. John Wieland with Carle BroMenn Medical Center says early research shows BA2 might be more transmissible. He spoke with WJBC’s Scott Miller.

“Interestingly, this is still susceptible to the current vaccine, it’s just you need to have that booster in order to minimize the illness effects,” said Wieland.

According to the World Health Organization, BA.1 is still the most common omicron sublineage.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

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