Three cases of new lineage of Omicron confirmed in Brazil

Brazil’s Fiocruz Foundation, a science and technology institution linked to the country’s Ministry of Health, has identified three cases of the BA.2 lineage of the Omicron variant: two in Rio de Janeiro state and one in the state of Santa Catarina. The identification was made through genetic sequencing.

The information was confirmed by Fiocruz’s Laboratory of Respiratory Viruses and Measles, which has worked to map genomes of the novel coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic.

The new lineage is more contagious, Fiocruz declared, but further research is required to ascertain whether it is more dangerous.