‘Stealth Omicron’ has become the dominant variant of the coronavirus strain in the United States

A version of the Omicron coronavirus strain BA.2, or Stealth Omicron, has become the predominant strain in the United States, data updated Tuesday by the U.S. federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show.

This version of the strain accounted for 54.9 percent of all infections in the past week, according to the health regulator. Another 40.4 percent of those infected had another version of the BA 1.1 strain, with the main Omicron strain accounting for only 4.7 percent of infections. No cases of infection with the “delta” strain were detected between March 20 and March 26 in the United States.

The highest percentage of infections with stealth-omicron was recorded on the U.S. East Coast, where this version of the strain accounted for more than 70 percent of covid infections.

Coronavirus strain B.1.1.529, which is designated by the Greek letter “omicron,” was found in 2021 in southern Africa. According to the federal operational headquarters for coronavirus control, it has been detected in all regions of the Russian Federation. In February 2022, it was found to be divided into three main lines: BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3.

Earlier, Alexander Gorelov, deputy director for scientific work at Rospotrebnadzor Central Research Institute of Epidemiology and corresponding member of RAS, told TASS that BA.2 subspecies is more infectious but cannot be more severe than the original strain variant.