First Domestic Detection of Omicron Subvariant 'BA.2.75 Mutation'

KDCA Investigating 60s Resident in Incheon... "No History of Overseas Travel"

On the 13th, the COVID-19 testing center at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 was crowded with overseas arrivals. The Central Disease Control Headquarters of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced that as of midnight, the number of new confirmed cases was 40,266, including 398 imported cases. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The BA.2.75 (Centaurus) variant, a sublineage of Omicron recently reported in India, has been confirmed for the first time in South Korea.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 14th that through genomic analysis of a confirmed case in their 60s residing in Incheon, they confirmed infection with BA.2.75 and are conducting an in-depth investigation into the infection route.

The confirmed case has no history of overseas travel during the infectious period and is currently receiving home treatment.

As of the 14th, no additional confirmed cases have been identified among cohabitants or community contacts. The health authorities plan to conduct follow-up testing for 14 days from the last exposure date for all contacts.

BA.2.75 is a variant first identified in India on May 26 and has rapidly increased its share. Globally, a total of 119 cases have been confirmed in more than 10 countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Compared to the currently prevalent BA.2, it carries multiple additional mutations in the spike gene, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) and others to closely monitor changes in characteristics such as immune evasion and severity impact.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters stated, "As an increase in transmissibility and potential immune evasion of the BA.2.75 variant is predicted, we will strengthen surveillance of domestic occurrences and overseas inflows, and continue close monitoring of domestic trends."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.