(Reuters) – The Omicron coronavirus variant BA.2 does not appear to have any greater severity than its original BA.1 counterpart, an official from the World Health Organization stated on Tuesday.

According to Dr. Boris Pavlin, who is part of WHO’s COVID-19 Response Team, vaccines continue to offer similar protection against Omicron.

These comments are made as Omicron’s BA.2 subvariant starts to replace Omicron’s “original” BA.1 subvariant, in countries like Denmark.

Pavlin stated that there is no evidence of a difference in disease severity based on data taken from Denmark. However, BA.2 may be able to take over BA.1 internationally.

“We are not experiencing any greater hospitalizations when we compare other countries to which BA.2 is currently overtaking,” he stated.

BA.2 can be more easily transmitted than BA.1 and is therefore more susceptible to infection in vaccine-educated people. This was according to a Danish study that examined coronavirus infections in over 8,500 Danish homes between December and January.

Pavlin indicated that subvariants are already dominant in India (Pakistan), Qatar (Qatar), India (India) and Denmark.

He stated that vaccination is an important protection against serious diseases such as Omicron. BA.2 will soon replace BA.1. Its impact is unlikely to be substantial, although more data are needed.”