COVID-19 'stealth' omicron variant arrives in Tallahassee; cases, hospitalizations low
The first case of the COVID-19 omicron subvariant, BA.2, was detected in Leon County on March 8, according to a spokesperson for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.
While this single detection is the only known instance of the subvariant's presence in the capital city and county, local experts do not expect a surge in cases and hospitalizations like during the delta or the BA.1 omicron waves.
The infection was detected in a Florida State University lab that partnered with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to process COVID tests during the early months of the pandemic.
Tracking the subvariant in Florida:
COVID variant in Florida: Here's what we know about the BA.2 omicron subvariant
Is the 'stealth' omicron subvariant something to worry about? Here's what the experts say
The joint lab is set to test another batch of infections this week and medical experts expect the BA.2 "stealth" subvariant to make up nearly 50% of the cases, mirroring the national trend.
Dr. Dean Watson, the vice president and chief integration officer at TMH, says while there is a chance that infections may rise, there is no need for a panic.
"It is likely we will see an increase in the local positivity rate and cases related to the BA.2 variant over the coming weeks," he said in a statement. "However, with much of the population having natural immunity from past infection or vaccine induced immunity from recent vaccination, we are hopeful we will not see a dramatic increase in hospitalizations."
As of Thursday, there was only a single COVID-positive patient in TMH and four receiving treatment in HCA Florida Capital Hospital, formerly known as Capital Regional Medical Center.
After receiving the Democrat's inquiry for any other detected BA.2 cases locally, Pamela Saulsby, a spokesperson for the Department of Health (DOH) in Leon County, said she would reply with a statement.
As of Friday afternoon, she has not received approval from the state DOH office to release a statement on the matter.
What is the BA.2 subvariant?
BA.2, which has been shown to be highly transmissible but less severe than past variants, is the dominant strain of the virus in new cases in the United States, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Tuesday.
The subvariant was first detected in South Africa and the Philippines around the same time as BA.1, in December.
However, the variants took different paths: While BA.1 spread through South Africa and eventually the United States, BA.2 made its way through India before crossing into northern Europe and China, where it's causing the countries' most intense surge since 2020.
In early March, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House's chief medical advisor, told ABC’s This Week that while the U.S. may likely see an increase in COVID cases, he does not expect it to be particularly dangerous.
“So the bottom line is we likely will see an uptick in cases as we’ve seen in the European countries," Fauci said. “Hopefully, we won’t see a surge; I don’t think we will. The easiest way to prevent that is to continue to get people vaccinated. And for those who have been vaccinated, to continue to get them boosted.”
Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.
Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat using the link at the top of the page.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon County/Tallahassee has its first case of BA.2 omicron subvariant
