Omicron Likely Originated in West Africa, New Study Shows (2)

Omicron, the current dominant coronavirus strain, likely originated in West Africa even though it was first identified in the south of the continent, according to a study led by South Africa’s Stellenbosch University and Charite -Universitatsmedizin Berlin.

The study, based on 13,097 samples of Covid-19 infections from 22 African countries, showed that the omicron BA.1 lineage first emerged in the west of the continent where little testing and even less gene sequencing takes place. BA.1 was the first omicron strain. It has since further mutated.

“Phylogeographic analyses supported BA.1 origins in Western Africa preceding spread in Southern Africa,” the researchers ...