Covid-19: Omicron BA.2.12.1 has mutation akin to Delta, says virologist

Doctors say Covid cases rising, but not very severe patients yet

The Omicron sub-lineage BA.2.12.1, which is causing a surge in Covid-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR), has a mutation in the spike protein similar to the one found only in the Delta lineage. Whether this causes any severity in infections is to be seen, but so far, clinicians claim, most Covid-positive cases are asymptomatic or mild.

Speaking to Business Standard, Shahid Jameel, senior research fellow at Green Templeton College at Oxford University, said Omicron now has two main lineages – BA.1 and BA.2, both with several sub-lineages. “As a group, BA.2 spreads about 20 per cent better than