Omicron BA.2 variant identified in Louisville; here's what you need to know

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A newer version of the COVID-19 omicron variant has been found in Louisville's wastewater.

It's called Omicron BA.2 and has already caused another rise in COVID cases in Europe.

IS THE NEW OMICRON VARIANT IN KENTUCKY?

Yes.

HOW CONTAGIOUS IS IT?

Dr. Joseph Flynn of the Norton Medical Group said Thursday that this variant is 50-80% more infectious.

"As far as how serious it is, it's pretty similar to what we saw with original omicron, which is great news for all of us," Flynn said. "It's more upper respiratory, cold-like symptoms, and if you're vaccinated and have your booster, your chances of severe disease are very low."

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said there have likely been many other Kentucky cases that have not been confirmed.

"This subvariant has now been confirmed in 29 Kentucky residents since the first week February," Beshear said Thursday. "These residents are from 13 different counties."

WHAT IS OMICRON BA.2?

Doctors said BA.2 is technically classified as a part of the omicron family of viruses, but genetically, this strain is very different, with about 40 mutations separating it from its cousin, BA.1. That makes it about as distinct from the original Omicron as Alpha, Beta and Delta were from each other.

According to William Hanage, an epidemiologist at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which means that a single infected person could be expected to transmit the disease to an average of eight others.

It is more contagious than Omicron's BA.1, which was already an extremely contagious virus with a basic reproduction number, or R-naught, of about eight.

WILL WE HAVE ANOTHER SURGE?

Flynn said it's too early to say whether there will be another surge. He expects that warmer weather, vaccination rates and the high number of people previously infected with omicron variants will reduce the likelihood of another spike.

"We're starting to see it in Kentucky," he said. "It's a very low level thus far, but I expect we'll see a continued rise."

The Omicron BA.2 variant has already caused another rise in COVID cases in Europe. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 4% of Americans with COVID now have infections caused by BA-2.

Other parts of the country and around the world are seeing more cases. Doctors said Europe is seeing BA-2 in 90% of its COVID-19 cases. Flynn said if you're vaccinated and boosted, you'll have less of a chance of getting sick.

“It is too soon to know whether BA.2 will lead to excess hospitalizations or deaths," Beshear said. "We know this: Get vaccinated. We know getting vaccinated will provide a level of protection from hospitalization, from severe disease, and death.”

Flynn said he's not expecting the same type of surge that we saw with omicron. He said the warmer weather, the number of people vaccinated and the number of people infected earlier with omicron could reduce the chance of another spike.

Doctors said variants are something they're constantly watching as the virus continues to mutate over time.

Kentucky's COVID-19 positivity rate is just over 3%. The state said there were 279 COVID deaths last week, 41 in Louisville.