Evaluation: BA.2.12.1 Subvariant: Concerning, but No Need to Panic Just Yet

BA.2.12.1 Subvariant: Concerning, but No Need to Panic Just Yet A number of factors are contributing to the Omicron subvariant's rise Jennifer Henderson medpagetoday

A new Omicron subvariant is rapidly gaining steam in New York and other parts of the Northeast. Experts are urging caution in the face of BA.2.12.1, and say a number of factors are contributing to its rise. But they're also warning against panic.

As of April 20, BA.2.12.1 accounted for more than 75% of sequenced cases in Central New York -- a region that has seen a dramatic uptick in the subvariant's presence since it was first detected there in February -- according to the state Department of Health. And, across New York, it accounts for about 42% of cases.

But it's not just New York. Other states across the Northeast are seeing a similar climb in the subvariant's proportion of cases, and nationwide, BA.2.12.1 has increased from 3.5% of cases a little more than a month ago to nearly 30% of cases last week.

"What we're seeing right now is a version of the virus that is much more transmissible than previous versions of the virus, perhaps, but also less likely to cause severe disease," Perry Halkitis, PhD, MPH, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, told MedPage Today.

"None of this is odd," Halkitis said. "What is problematic is the speed with which it seems to be spreading. And the speed with which it seems to be spreading, to me, has something to do with the virus, but more to do with human behavior."

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