BA.2 infections in Germany are also growing faster than BA.1 and Delta, according to Dr Meera Chand, Covid-19 director at the UKHSA. Genome sequencing among the states is not always fair. pic.twitter.com/ESQupxUet4. The data once again shows that coming forward for your jab, particularly your third dose, is the best way of protecting yourself and others against infection and severe disease. Based on the CDC's genomic surveillance, the BA.2 or stealth Omicron subvariant is responsible for most new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the U.S. BA.2 is a subvariant of the original SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529), along with BA.1.1 and BA.3. It contains epidemiological data and updated analysis of COVID-19 variants currently circulating in the UK. SGTF is not a 100% accurate test for Omicron and results are regularly evaluated against sequencing to ensure they are interpreted correctly. The B.1.1.529variant includes a large number of spike protein mutations as well as mutations in other parts of the viral genome. People infected with Omicron are also less likely to experience fever or loss of taste and smell. Night sweats Scratchy throat Dry cough Mild muscle aches In data published by the UKHSA on January 14, they found that NHS test and trace data revealed a loss of smell or taste was reported less. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 29. But the preliminary assessment found no evidence that vaccines would be any less effective against symptomatic disease for either sub-variant. Top of the list with a prevalence of 80. UKHSA is monitoring this closely. Early data shows that young children who are hospitalised experience mild illness and are discharged after short stays in hospital. It is very likely that we will find more cases over the coming days as we are seeing in other countries globally and as we increase case detection through focused contact tracing. An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: We are learning to live with this virus and thanks to our world-leading surveillance system we can rapidly detect and carefully monitor any genetic changes to COVID-19. Two major BA.2 variant symptoms include dizziness and fatigue, as I wrote for the Deseret News. By the summer of 2022, the BA.5 variant was the most dominant strain in the US. So far, vaccination means that the rise in cases is not translating to a rise in severe illness and deaths. Cases have been confirmed through whole genome sequencing in all 9 regions of England. It is therefore absolutely critical that we all do everything that we can to help break the chains of transmission and slow the spread of this new variant. Prior infection is 44% effective at preventing future infection, increasing to 71% with 3 doses of the vaccine. This new UKHSA data on Omicron is promising while 2 doses of the vaccine arent enough, we know boosters offer significant protection against the variant and early evidence suggests this strain may be less severe than Delta. However, confidence levels for severity indicators for children are low because further analysis is required to compare the risk of hospitalisation between Omicron and Delta, and to assess the clinical nature of illness in children. Because of a quirk in how it shows up in test results, we can see the numbers of suspected BA.2 doubled in the week up to 24 January. Any variants showing evidence of spread are rapidly assessed. Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Advisor, UKHSA said: Recombinant variants are not an unusual occurrence, particularly when there are several variants in circulation, and several have been identified over the course of the pandemic to date. Data for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is not included in the UKHSA Technical Briefing. The latest data confirmed that among those who had received 2 doses of AstraZeneca, there was no effect against Omicron from 20 weeks after the second dose. There is still uncertainty around the significance of the changes to the viral genome, and further analyses will now be undertaken. BA.2 is believed to be far more contagious than the earlier Omicron strain, and was blamed for a fresh surge in Denmark. As with other kinds of variant, most will die off relatively quickly. Continue to exercise caution. UKHSAs most recent variant technical briefing can be found on GOV.UK. What are the symptoms of BA.2? As of January 10 2022, 53 sequences of the BA.2 sub-lineage of Omicron had been identified in the United Kingdom. In some places, growth in recorded cases of the sub-variant has been sharp. Neither have currently been designated as variants of concern. Until the week beginning 23 November 2021, the weekly count of cases with SGTF was routinely less than 150, making up less than 0.1% of all cases. This data shows that protection against severe illness from COVID-19 remains at over 90% in those aged 65 and over up to 14 weeks after a booster dose. There is insufficient data to make any assessment of protection against severe disease, or to assess the severity of illness caused by Omicron. Its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets aPCRtest immediately. 1 case has been identified in Wales. A recombinant variant occurs when an individual becomes infected with 2 or more variants at the same time, resulting in a mixing of their genetic material within the patients body. Omicron has branched into three lineages, explains Thomas Russo, M.D., professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York: BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3. If the growth rate and doubling time continue at the rate we have seen in the last 2 weeks, we expect to see at least 50% of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases to be caused by Omicron variant in the next 2 to 4 weeks. Our continued genomic surveillance allows us to further investigate variants that are growing within the UK. However, a small change may be enough to cause a difference in the virus properties in some circumstances. As of 2 May 2022, 21 confirmed cases of Omicron BA.4 and 19 confirmed cases of Omicron BA.5 have been detected in England. Under the new system, the variant of concern (VOC) label will be assigned to variants which are currently emerging or circulating, and which the following characteristics can be confirmed or predicted: 1. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published a new variant technical briefing containing an updated Omicron risk assessment, alongside analysis on vaccine efficacy, sub-lineages and symptoms. Its not too late to catch up if youve missed boosters, or even first doses so please take your recommended vaccines. This will include analysing live samples of the new variant in our laboratories to investigate properties such as response to current vaccines. Now more countries, particularly in Asia and Europe, are reporting an increase in cases driven by BA.2. The Omicron BA.2 subvariant is fast becoming the dominant strain of COVID-19, with symptoms similar to previous strains of the virus. One individual diagnosed in hospital has sadly died. There are indications of a small rise in children admitted to hospital, but these early signals need further investigations before we can draw any conclusions about whether Omicron causes more severe illness in children. There is currently no evidence of community transmission within the UK. As of 17 May, 115 cases of BA.4 and 80 cases of BA.5 have been confirmed in England and the latest UKHSA variant technical briefing has been published today. However, UKHSA scientists say there is no room to be complacent. You have accepted additional cookies. While evidence is still emerging, so far it does not appear this variant causes more severe disease or renders the vaccines currently deployed any less effective. The guidance on vaccination is changing to help all of us bolster our defences in the face of this new variant. This analysis found that the risk of presentation to emergency care or hospital admission with Omicron (testing for symptomatic or asymptomatic infection) was approximately half of that for Delta, while the risk of hospital admission alone with Omicron was approximately one-third of that for Delta. As we learn to live safely with COVID-19, there are actions we can all take to help reduce the risk of catching COVID-19 and passing it on to others. Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against this new variant so please get your first, second, third or booster jab as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) can confirm that 10 people have been hospitalised with the Omicron variant in England; the individuals were diagnosed on or before admission. They could be strangers (for example people you sit next to on public transport) or people you may have regular contact with (for example friends and work colleagues). The Delta variant, for example, comprises 200 different sub-variants. At this point it is not possible to determine where the sublineage may have originated. So how worried should we be about this emerging variant? Until we have this evidence, we must exercise the highest level of caution in drawing conclusions about any significant risks to peoples health. Follow the latest self-isolation rules if you develop symptoms wear a mask where required to do so, take regular LFD tests and observe good hand hygiene. The best way that you can protect yourself is to come forward for your first 2 doses of vaccine, or your booster jab and do everything you can to stop onward transmission of the infection. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has released a new variant technical briefing detailing updated analysis of epidemiological and genomic data relating to SARS-CoV-2 variants currently circulating in the UK, including the XBB.1.5 variant which has been increasing in the US in recent months. The risk assessment conducted by UKHSA together with academic partners found that CH.1.1 and XBB.1.5 are currently the variants most likely to take over from BQ.1 as the next dominant variant in the UK, unless further novel variants arise. In some countries, BA.2 accounts for more than half of sequenced Omicron cases, it adds. These include a high temperature, a new. Whilst there are insufficient data to quantify either vaccine effectiveness or risk of reinfection in the UK exactly, the observed growth, case distribution and early analyses in both South Africa and the UK are consistent with some loss of immune protection against infection. Headache. The majority of these cases are located in London and the South East. This is more promising data which reinforces just how important vaccines are. It is not clear where BA.2 originated, but it was first detected in the Philippines in November. moderate COVID-19 symptoms who are at high risk of . Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Advisor at UKHSA, said: This latest set of analysis once again demonstrates that a booster dose of the vaccine provides you with significant protection against hospitalisation from Omicron. XD has not been identified in the UK to date, though 49 cases have been reported to global databases, the majority of these are in France. Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at UKHSA, said: These early estimates should be treated with caution but they indicate that a few months after the second jab, there is a greater risk of catching the Omicron variant compared to Delta strain. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published a new variant technical briefing describing ongoing work on the Omicron variant. BQ.1 (V-22OCT-01) is a BA.5 sub-lineage which has been designated on the basis of rapid growth. Please make sure to wear a mask in line with government guidance, including on public transport and in shops, to help break the chains of transmission and slow the spread of this new variant. Studies have already shown that this virus travels to different parts of the body, therefore gut-related issues are. Its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. It is therefore vital that people continue to exercise caution in order to limit the transmission of the virus. The Omicron variant of Covid-19 includes the lineages BA.1, BA.2, BA.3 and B.1.1.529. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 104. UKHSA encourage everyone to continue to follow the most up-to date guidance. You will not always know whether someone you come into contact with is at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from respiratory infections, including COVID-19. Overall, data shows significant reductions in neutralisation against several of the newly emergent variants (BA.2.75.2, BA.2.3.20 and BJ.1), compared to BA.2, BA.4 and the dominant BA.5. There are also hybrid strains, such as XE, which is a combination of BA.1 and BA.2 By Alex Finnis Thanks to the expertise of scientists at UKHSA and partner organisations, were able to respond quickly to new variations of the virus. Neither have been designated as variants of concern by UKHSA. This paper can be found as a pre-print, and the data is referred to in the latest vaccine surveillance report. This edition includes an update on the current circulating lineages, including several cases of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 which have been detected in the UK. As we cautiously return to Plan A, I encourage you to give yourself and your loved ones the best protection possible and Get Boosted Now. It is also vital to continue with all the other precautions we have become used to throughout the pandemic keep indoor areas well ventilated, wear a face covering in enclosed spaces, and take a rapid lateral flow (or LFD) test before a situation where you may be at high risk of catching or passing on the virus. A preliminary assessment did not find evidence of a difference in vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease for BA.2 compared to BA.1. A runny nose, gastrointestinal issues, headache and a skin rash are other common signs and symptoms. The increasing prevalence of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 is likely to be a factor in the recent increase in cases seen in the UK and elsewhere, though there is currently no evidence that Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 cause more severe illness than previous variants. However, it should be noted both that this is early data and more research is required to confirm these findings. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 99% of viral DNA submitted to the global GISAID database as of 25 January were identified as this sub-variant. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. 2023 BBC. UKHSA scientists are urging anyone who has not had all the vaccines they are eligible for to make sure that they get them as soon as possible. Please make sure to wear a mask in line with government guidance, including on public transport and in shops, to help break the chains of transmission and slow the spread of this new variant. The highly transmissible Omicron variant now accounts for half of the world's infections. A study of 8,500 households and 18,000 individuals conducted by Denmark's SSI found that BA.2 was "substantially" more transmissible than BA.1. Since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified two subvariants, BA.1.1 and BA.2. As of 20 December,132individuals with confirmed Omicron have been admitted to or transferred from emergency departments. Hospital cases are also rising, but vaccines are still helping to stop many severe. Runny nose. The newest COVID variant taking the world by storm is Omicron's stealthy sub-variant BA.2, and it seems to have brought on a new barrage of gastrointestinal symptoms with it. The most commonly-reported symptoms with the original Omicron variant were cough, fatigue, headache, congestion, and runny nose. It is one for the scientists to watch, rather than for the public to be alarmed about at this stage. Our findings suggest the current wave of Omicron infections is unlikely to lead to a major surge in severe disease in care home populations with high levels of vaccine coverage and/or natural immunity. As I previously reported, omicron subvariants have a shorter incubation period, which is why the symptoms may appear earlier. We are particularly grateful to health protection specialists and the government of South Africa for early sharing of local information on the omicron variant in an exemplary way to support global health security. We have also learnt that BA.2 has a slightly higher secondary attack rate than BA.1 in households. If you develop any symptoms, isolate immediately and get a PCR test. Infection rate corrected to one million infections a day. Things you can choose to do are: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has elevated the classification of the COVID-19 variants Omicron BA.4 and Omicron BA.5 to variants of concern (VOCs) on the basis of observed growth. Currently there are 18 UK samples in GISAID, out of a global total of 1,086; 639 samples have been uploaded from Singapore, and it is thought that XBB may be a factor in the recent spike in cases there. According to Baric, Omicron is the first SARS-CoV-2 variant to evolve in the context of mounting immunity in the populationthe result of vaccines and prior infection with other forms of the . A booster dose was associated with a 74% reduced risk of hospitalisation in the first 2 to 4 weeks after vaccination, with the figure dropping to 66% 10 weeks or more after this dose. We have started to see cases where there are no links to travel, suggesting that we have a small amount of community transmission. Of symptomatic cases, loss of smell and taste was found to be more common in people who tested positive for Delta than those who had Omicron. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) against Omicron has again been updated in this weeks briefing. It is very likely that we will find more cases over the coming days as we are seeing in other countries globally and as we increase case detection through focused contact tracing. Cases are currently very high in the UK, and even a relatively low proportion requiring hospitalisation could result in a significant number of people becoming seriously ill. Scientists in the UK and abroad are closely monitoring BA.2, a sub-variant of Omicron. UKHSA has also this week published further vaccine effectiveness data against hospitalisation following a booster dose. It is never too late to come forward for your first dose and its vital that everyone comes forward to get boosted now as we head into the new year. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. While in the UK, the individual was in Westminster, London. Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. Neither BQ.1 nor XBB have been designated as variants of concern and UKHSA is monitoring the situation closely, as always. BA.2 has been under close . Everyone over 18 is now able to walk into a vaccine centre, so do not hesitate to get yours. The study also showed evidence to suggest that the BA.2 sub-variant is better able to evade vaccines. Take a vaccine to protect yourself against COVID-19. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified 8 further cases of COVID-19 with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in England, in addition to the previous 5 confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529. These changes will take effect as of 1 April 2022 and will be reflected in full in future technical briefings. Face coverings in crowded indoor spaces and hand washing will help to reduce transmission of infection and are especially important if you have any respiratory symptoms. What is the stealth omicron, or BA.2, variant? They also say that Omicron symptoms are typically mild, and herd immunity is at . There are small numbers of cases in the UK and this designation is intended to allow investigation into the specific properties of this variant. In severe cases, the SpO2 Level may also decrease. UKHSAis carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. This is not an unusual occurrence and several recombinant SARS-CoV-2 variants have been identified over the course of the pandemic. Omicron has a deletion atposition69/70of the spike proteinwhich allows it to be tracked through S gene target failure(SGTF)in some PCR tests. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified 75 further cases of COVID-19 with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in England, in addition to the previous 29 confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529. Fatigue. Thats why its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. Of these, 20 were in England, 3 in Scotland and 1 in Wales. As is routine for any new variants under investigation,UKHSAis carrying out laboratory and epidemiological investigations to better understand the characteristics of this variant. Therefore, although early suggestions are that individuals may be less likely to require hospitalisation, many more people are likely to become infected. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified 7 further cases of COVID-19 with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in England, in addition to the previous 22 confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529. Dr Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of UKHSA, said: We are continuing our efforts to understand the effect of this variant on transmissibility, severe disease, mortality, antibody response and vaccine efficacy. The Omicron variant sub-lineage known as BA.2 has been designated a variant under investigation ( VUI-22JAN-01) by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Omicron BA.2.75, the variant derived from the BA.2 lineage which was identified internationally earlier this month, has now been categorised as a separate variant and given the designation V-22JUL-01. It is important that everyone ensures that they are up to date with vaccinations offered as they remain our best form of defence against severe illness. As we all work to limit the high levels of transmission of this variant over the Christmas period, we are urging people to test regularly, particularly before attending social gatherings. The individuals that have tested positive and their contacts are all isolating. Studies of contacts show that Omicron is transmitting more effectively than Delta. Added breakdown of cases by local authority to latest update. This suggests that BA.5 is likely to become the dominant COVID-19 variant in the UK. Two-thirds with Omicron say they had Covid before. It is critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. Latest updates on SARS-CoV-2 variants detected in the UK. Thats why its so important that everybody, everywhere, takes simple steps to protect themselves from infection. Analysis from routine contact tracing data indicates that transmission is likely to be higher among contacts of BA.2 cases in households (13.4%) than those for contacts of other Omicron cases(10.3%) in the period 27 December 2021 to 11 January 2022. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 99% of viral DNA submitted to the global GISAID database as of 25 January were identified as this sub-variant. Currently, no experimental data has been reported about BA.2 and BA.3. There will be no other categorisation of variants, including no variant under investigation (VUI) category. In this analysis, the risk of hospitalisation is lower for Omicron cases with symptomatic or asymptomatic infection after 2 and 3 doses of vaccine, with an 81% (95% confidence interval 77 to 85%) reduction in the risk of hospitalisation after 3 doses compared to unvaccinated Omicron cases. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. AstraZeneca was the main vaccine used early in the programme in care homes and among those in clinical risk groups. Consider wearing a face covering when in crowded places. The analysis looked at 581 people with confirmed Omicron. UKHSA Chief Medical Advisor, Dr Susan Hopkins said: It is increasingly evident that Omicron is highly infectious and there is emerging laboratory and early clinical evidence to suggest that both vaccine-acquired and naturally acquired immunity against infection is reduced for this variant. This increased to 63% for BA.1 and 70% for BA.2 at 2 weeks following a third vaccine. Whilst Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 are in the early stages of growth in the UK, analysis of the available data suggests that they are likely to have a growth advantage over the currently-dominant Omicron BA.2 variant. In India, BA.2 is rapidly replacing the Delta and Omicron BA.1 variants of Covid, BA.2 was first detected in the Philippines, About half of new cases in Denmark are caused by BA.2, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Mother who killed her five children euthanised, Alex Murdaugh jailed for life for double murder, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Zoom boss Greg Tomb fired without cause, US sues Exxon over nooses found at Louisiana plant. As always, the booster vaccine remains the best protection against infection. It is not unexpected to see new lineages and continued investigation is a normal part of the surveillance of an infectious disease. A thirddose was associated with a 68% (95% confidence interval 52 to 82%) reduced risk of hospitalisation when compared to similar unvaccinated individuals. This analysis is preliminary and highly uncertain because of the small numbers of Omicron cases currently in hospital, inability to effectively measure all previous infections and the limited spread of Omicron into older age groups. While signs remain encouraging on Omicrons severity compared with Delta, the high levels of community transmission continue and may cause pressures on health services. According to Denmark's Statens Serum Institut (SSI), BA.2 infections rose to account for about half of the country's reported Covid cases in January. This will include analysing live samples of the new variant in our laboratories to investigate properties such as response to current vaccines. India is another country where BA.2 is rapidly replacing the Delta and Omicron BA.1 variant, according to molecular biologist Bijaya Dhakal. Aside from all of the usual COVID symptoms, like a dry cough, a scratchy throat, fatigue, and muscle aches, the Stealth variant is thought to cause a few other distinct issues. Once again, we urge everyone who is able to get a booster jab to come forward and do so. Positive tests with sufficient virus detected from people arriving in the UK are sent for confirmation through Whole Genome Sequencing, regardless of the presence or absence of SGTF. A number of Omicron variants are currently circulating in England, many of which have acquired mutations which may produce a degree of immune escape. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 13. People suffering From the Omicron BA2 variant said they had fever and body Aches. It is the best defence we have against this highly transmissible new variant. The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) said the BA.2 sub-lineage was already prevalent in samples it received at the end of January. After 2 doses, vaccine effectiveness was 9% and 13% respectively for BA.1 and BA.2, after 25+ weeks. What we know is that it is certainly growing as a proportion of overall cases in the UK. The areas with the largest number of confirmed cases are London (146) and the South East (97). These are some of the symptoms that you should be looking out for: High temperature. Two variants, CH.1.1 and XBB.1.5, appear to have a growth advantage in the UK. Previous updates were published by Public Health England. We have now identified cases in the East Midlands, East of England, London and North West. Xi Jinping is unveiling a new deputy - why it matters, Bakhmut attacks still being repelled, says Ukraine, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. But the latest data suggests this extra protection starts to wane more rapidly, being about 15 to 25% lower from 10 weeks after the booster dose. While prevalence remains high, make sure to wear your mask in indoor settings and take a lateral flow test before meeting others. We constantly assess the genetic diversity within the known variants of concern (VOCs) to inform our ongoing public health response to the pandemic. The most important thing everyone can do now is to get any vaccine dose that you are eligible for it is by far the most effective action you can take to protect yourself, your families and your communities. BA.2 omicron symptoms According to the CDC, the symptoms of Covid-19, including BA.2, are: Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body. Working from home where possible, consistently wearing masks in crowded or enclosed spaces, washing your hands regularly and isolating and getting tested if you feel unwell are also vitally important in reducing the impact of COVID-19 this winter.
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