Proportion of Omicron Cases Comprising B2.A Sub-variant as of January 2022 and Assessment of Its Threat vis-a-vis B1.A Sub-variant

40 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Minister for Health (a) as of January 2022, what proportion of Omicron cases comprises the B2.A sub-variant; and (b) what is the Ministry's assessment of the threat from the B2.A sub-variant versus the B1.A sub-variant.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: Currently, about 15% of local Omicron cases sequenced were of the BA.2 sub-lineage.

Preliminary studies overseas have found BA.2 to be more transmissible than BA.1. However, there is currently no indication that BA.2 causes more severe illness, compared to BA.1, or that vaccines will not work as well against the subvariant.

MOH will continue to monitor circulating COVID-19 strains as well as international and local data on the BA.2 sub-lineage.