Given the large number of Covid-19 cases with Delta and Omicron variants in the recent period and the small and steady number of cases with the newest subvariant BA.2, the chances are that Romania has achieved herd immunity already, according to a study published by private medical services provider MedLife.

The company said that it would launch a new research to establish how many Romanians have been infected, with or without knowing.

MedLife also reported that, following the sequencing of a new batch of 94 samples, all of them were identified with the Omicron strain, and in the case of 3 samples, the BA.2 sub-variant was identified, G4media.ro reported. No samples of the Delta strain were identified.

Within two weeks, the number of cases with the new BA.2 subvariant evolved from 2 to 3 cases on the MedLife study groups.

"Although this new subvariant is in the attention of a growing number of countries and has even become dominant in Denmark or several regions of India, in Romania it seems to have a slow evolution, at least this is observed in our study groups at this moment. Thus, if 2 weeks ago we identified 2 cases, on the group studied this week, we identified 3 cases with the sub-variant BA.2. The following 2 weeks will be very important, and if the pace of the spread of the new variant will be kept in the same parameters, then the chances are high that the trajectory predicted by the authorities regarding the evolution of wave 5 will remain in force," said Dumitru Jardan, biologist and doctor of medical sciences, coordinator of the sequencing study conducted by MedLife.

Minister of health Alexandru Rafila hinted that all restrictions could be lifted at the end of March when the state of alert may end. 

andrei@romania-insider.com

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