The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that “stealth omicron” accounts for 23% of U.S. cases that have been genetically sequenced, up from 11% two weeks earlier.
A descendant of omicron, stealth omicron, or the BA.2 subvariant, has a spike protein with a different genetic sequence than omicron. In February, the World Health Organization said the subvariant should be considered as a distinct omicron strain.
The growing prevalence of stealth omicron comes as the CDC reported an uptick in the presence of the virus in wastewater samples. The agency said a third of sampling sites reported an increase during the first 10 days of March.
The University of Arkansas Department of Civil Engineering said in June 2020 that there’s evidence the virus may be excreted in feces, explaining that wastewater-based epidemiology used to detect pesticides and pathogens could also detect the virus.
As a service to our readers, The Sentinel-Record publishes updates released by the city of Hot Springs and the state of Arkansas.
The Arkansas Department of Health is no longer reporting confirmed and probable cases separately. The following stats were posted Thursday on the Health Department’s website:
• 828,166 cumulative cases, up 457 from Wednesday.
• 454 rolling seven-day average of new cases, down 8.86 from Wednesday.
• 5,020,102 PCR test reports, up 3,945 from Wednesday.
• 11.6% cumulative PCR infection rate, no change from Wednesday.
• 1,610 active cases, down 91 from Wednesday.
• 249 active juvenile cases, up one from Wednesday.
• 815,290 recoveries, up 517 from Wednesday.
• 4,953,250 vaccine doses received, no change from Wednesday.
• 3,971,969 doses given, up 1,737 from Wednesday.
• 204 hospitalizations, down nine from Wednesday.
• 40 cases on ventilators, up three from Wednesday.
• 70 ICU patients, up three from Wednesday.
• 11,030 deaths, up 31 from Wednesday.
• 2,357 nursing home deaths, up one from Wednesday.
• 23,050 cumulative cases in Garland County, up six from Wednesday.
• 47 rolling seven-day average of new cases, up 0.43 from Wednesday.
• 193,993 PCR and antigen test reports, up 68 from Wednesday.
• 12.2% cumulative PCR infection rate, no change from Wednesday.
• 21 active cases in Garland County, no change from Wednesday.
• 22,531 recoveries in Garland County, up four from Wednesday.
• 498 deaths, up two from Wednesday.
