Within two weeks of the discovery of the new mutant by scientists in South Africa, the data showed the presence of samples of that mutant with similar and different characteristics from Omicron.
Scientists found the new form of the “Omicron Plus” in three countries: South Africa, Australia, and the United States, according to data published on GitHub website, which researchers use to share information about the “Covid-19″ infection.
Many of the mutations that were discovered in “Omicron” appear in the new mutant, but not all of them. According to scientists, the new mutant has many unique mutations.
As a result of the similarities and differences with mutant “Omicron” which was first detected in South Africa, the scientist named the new version “BA.2,” while the first version is “BA.1.”
Some scientists and the media called the new mutant “Phantom Omicron” for its ability to mislead PCR tests about the truth of which mutant it belongs to.
The danger of the matter is that tracking the spread of “Omicron” will become more difficult at a time when the process of monitoring the mutant is extremely important to understanding its nature.
The British Newspaper, "the Guardian", reported the 7 cases have been identified so far with the new mutant, so the picture is still unclear.
It is not clear how much the new mutants in "Omicron Plus" will affect its ability to spread and how severe is its infection.
Contributed by Israa Farhan.
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