The Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) evaluated real-world data on clinical severity of Omicron from South Africa, UK & Denmark, where immunity from vax or natural infection is high & found no difference in severity between BA.2 & BA.1 @mvankerkhove
At the moment, there is no difference in severity of disease between the Omicron subvariants BA.2 and BA.1, however BA.2 is more transmissible, which is concerning because many governments are ending COVID protections.
Omicron subvariants BA.2 and BA.1 are already variants of concern. However, they are not different variants based on their similar high transmissibility, severity of disease and ability to evade vaccines. @AnuragAgrawalMD, Chair of @WHO Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution
COVID-19 vaccines are incredibly protective against severe disease and death, including Omicron BA.1 & BA.2. Getting vaccinated is the single most important thing that you can do to protect yourself against COVID-19 @mvankerkhove
For certain we will have continued virus evolution. The more Omicron circulates, the more opportunities it has to change. This is why tracking and monitoring is so important @mvankerkhove
COVID-19 surveillance systems are very important. They monitor COVID morbidity & mortality among different age groups & populations, track changes over time, detect outbreaks, guide mitigation measures & treatment and evaluate the impact on healthcare systems @mvankerkhove
This document summarizes current WHO guidance for public health surveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in humans caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). who.int/publications/i… 
Recombination—the exchange of genetic material between genomes—is common in coronaviruses. We're detecting more recombination due to improved surveillance & increased transmission, however many mutations & recombinations are detrimental to COVID so don't have an effect @lsubissi
Increased recombination may be a reflection of better surveillance @mvankerkhove
@mvankerkhove At 1.5 to 2 months out, there seems to be significant protection between BA.1 to BA.2 and vice versa, which was one of the important factors in keeping them under the same nomenclature Omicron - @AnuragAgrawalMD Chair of @WHO Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution
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