Argentina detects BA.3.2 COVID-19 variant

Health authorities in Argentina have detected the first cases of the COVID-19 BA.3.2 sublineage, an Omicron variant previously unrecorded in South America. The Administration Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud (ANLIS-Malbrán) identified the variant in three positive cases from samples collected between April 26 and July 18.

While the variant shows greater antigenic distance from recent lineages, officials state it does not currently pose a substantial additional risk to the population. Of the three detected cases, all patients recovered favorably; one required hospitalization due to pre-existing comorbidities rather than the severity of the variant itself.

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies BA.3.2 as a “Variant Under Monitoring” (VUM) to facilitate genomic tracking. Globally, the prevalence of this strain has been declining, dropping from 15.1% to 6.45% between June and July. Researchers and vaccine producers, including those behind the locally developed ARVAC vaccine, are monitoring the variant's potential for immune escape and expansion capabilities.