The omicron subvariant BA.2 accounts for a tiny portion of positive COVID-19 cases identified through testing at Walgreens locations nationwide, according to the Walgreens COVID-19 Index.
The tool uses near real-time data from polymerase chain reaction tests performed at more than 5,000 Walgreens sites and processed by Aegis Sciences.
As of Jan. 20, just 0.29 percent of positive COVID-19 tests were BA.2. In contrast, BA.1.1 and BA.1 — the original omicron strain — accounted for 63.59 percent and 33.69 percent of positive tests, respectively.
The CDC aggregates omicron's sublineages — including BA.1 and BA.2 — into one lineage for reporting purposes. As of Jan. 29, the CDC said the omicron variant accounted for 99.9 percent of cases nationwide.
Early research suggests the omicron subvariant spreads more quickly than the original, leading some experts to predict that BA.2 will become the nation's dominant strain. Most experts say the subvariant could prolong the current surge but likely won't change the overall course of the pandemic.