Imported Case from the US... 50s Woman Fully Vaccinated with 3rd Dose
Estimated 23-27% Faster Detection Increase Rate than BA.2
One Additional Case Each of Omicron Recombinant XE and XE Variants Confirmed
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The BA.2.12.1 variant, which rapidly increased its share centered in New York, has been confirmed for the first time in South Korea. Additionally, one more case each of the XE and XM variants, first identified on the 19th of last month, was discovered.
On the 3rd, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that one case of the Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 was confirmed as an imported case. The confirmed patient is a 50-year-old woman who entered from the United States and was diagnosed positive on the 17th of last month. She had completed the third dose of vaccination, and no clinical abnormalities have been observed so far.
BA.2.12.1, spreading in the United States, is a sublineage reclassified from BA.2. Since first detected in the U.S. in December last year, 8,223 cases have been confirmed in 21 countries including Canada. Notably, this variant was detected in 90% of confirmed cases in central New York and nearby areas, suggesting it as a major factor in the increase of cases in New York. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 7-day average number of confirmed cases in New York rose from 3,339 on the 2nd of last month to 6,425 on the 23rd, nearly doubling.
According to the New York Department of Health, BA.2.12.1 is estimated to have a detection increase rate 23-27% faster than BA.2, which itself has 30% higher transmissibility than the original Omicron variant.
Furthermore, it has been confirmed to have two more amino acid mutations than BA.2, which may affect transmissibility and immune evasion. The impact on severity has not yet been identified.
Park Young-jun, head of the epidemiological investigation team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated, "We are currently investigating suspected infected individuals," adding, "We are starting with close contacts equivalent to household members."
Meanwhile, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that they have additionally confirmed one case each of the Omicron recombinant variants XE and XM and are conducting epidemiological investigations. Both cases were confirmed domestically, with XE diagnosed on the 9th of last month and XM on the 17th. It has been determined that no identical types of variants were detected among epidemiologically linked individuals of previously confirmed domestic recombinant variants XE, XM, and XQ.
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