The sub-variant BA.2 of Omicron, which was detected by the Near East University in the TRNC, is spreading approximately 1.5 times faster!

The sub-variant BA.2 of Omicron, also called the "hidden" variant because it makes the identification of its mutations difficult, was detected in the TRNC. The results of the analysis announced by the Near East University Genome Analysis Laboratory revealed that Omicron's dominance was 87.2 percent in the COVID-19 cases seen in the TRNC in the first two weeks of February, while the prevalence of Omicron's sub-variant BA.2 was 12.5 percent.

The raid variant is changing!
According to the results of the genome analysis announced by the Near East University; The currently spreading Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, was detected for the first time in the TRNC on 17 December 2022 in a case from abroad. The dominance of the Omicron variant, which spread rapidly over the next two weeks, reached 55 percent by the end of December. In January 2022, it became the dominant variant with 95 percent.

Variant analyzes carried out by Near East University on 829 patient samples showed that Omicron's sub-variant BA.2 started to spread in TRNC with seven cases. Considering that its sub-variant spreads 1.5 times faster than the main variant, Omicron BA.2 is expected to become the dominant variant in the TRNC in the coming weeks.

The studies carried out by Near East University Genome Analysis Laboratory researchers Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Cerkez Ergören, Dr. Gülten Tuncel, Dr. Gökçe Akan and molecular biologist Melis Kalaycı will continue to follow the spread of the sub-variant of Omiron in the coming days.

Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ: “Analysis and data show that sub-variant BA.2 spreads approximately 1.5 times faster than the first version of Omicron.”
Stating that the sub-variant BA.2 of Omicron, which is currently the dominant variant in the TRNC, has begun to spread in the TRNC, Near East University Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ said, “Analysis and data show that sub-variant BA.2 spreads approximately 1.5 times faster than the first version of Omicron. Therefore, we foresee that the dominance rate of the sub-variant, which was 12.5 percent in the first two weeks of February, will increase rapidly in the coming period and become the dominant variant.”

Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ added that the most distinctive features of the subvariant are the high rate of spread and the difficulty in identifying the mutations it has.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Çerkez Ergören: “The results of our viral genome sequence analysis for the Omicron BA.2 and Omicron BA.1 strains revealed that these strains carry significant genetic differences.”
Stating that the results of the sequence analysis they carried out confirmed for the first time that Omicron's sub-variant BA.2 started to spread in the TRNC, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Çerkez Ergören said, “The results of our viral genome sequence analysis for the Omicron BA.2 and Omicron BA.1 strains revealed that these strains carry significant genetic differences. These differences raise concerns that Omicron's sub-variant BA.2 may be more resistant to antibodies produced by vaccines."

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Çerkez Ergören said, “We need more data to clarify this issue. With our experienced team and well-equipped infrastructure, we will continue to monitor the sub-variant of Omicron at our Near East University diagnostic and research laboratories and share the results with the public.”