CentraCare in St. Cloud is Monitoring New COVID Variant

(KNSI) – Medical officials in St. Cloud are following the latest COVID-19 variant making its way around the globe. The virus getting the most attention is a subvariant called omicron BA2. CentraCare’s Lead COVID Physician Dr. George Morris says it’s the virus they think is coming next.

“We can’t predict everything. And no prediction will be perfect. And we don’t know exactly what COVID is going to do to us because it’s so variable based on how many people in the community are vulnerable.”

The virus mutated from the omicron variant, which overwhelmed St. Cloud Hospital and other medical providers in the fall and winter. Officials say someone with the omicron variant would infect around eight people. Dr. Morris says a person with the BA2 subvariant can infect 12 people, but there’s a bright spot.

“It’s more contagious; however it’s not translating to a high number of people that need hospitalization, severely ill or dying so in that case more transmissible less severe.”

He says that because the BA2 virus appears to be less severe and the hospital system should be able to handle an uptick in cases. As of Thursday morning, Morris says CentraCare had around ten patients with COVID-19 in a hospital.

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