Contagious omicron subvariant in Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The omicron subvariant, that is fueling COVID-19 surges in Europe and Asia, has been found in the wastewater of some Oregon communities. While data shows that BA.2 is not the dominant variant in Oregon, the could change — given that state’s pandemic trends have generally lagged the rest of the country by several weeks. Experts in the U.S. are keeping a close eye on the variant, saying that although it doesn’t pose much of a threat right now it is likely the country will see an uptick in cases in the next few weeks. Much remains unknown about the variant. Although there’s no evidence it causes more severe disease, scientists say it’s about 30% more contagious than the original omicron.