However, some experts believe that BA.2 doesn't present symptoms different from the original Omicron. 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. In the UK, 38 cases of XF have been identified, though none have been seen since mid February. Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said: Todays new data shows how important booster jabs are to protect us against this variant. UKHSA is monitoring this closely. As of May 2022, BA.2.12.1 was spreading in the US and two new subvariants of Omicron named BA.4 and BA.5, first detected in January 2022, spread in South Africa. As with any other coronavirus (COVID-19) variant, the vast majority do not confer any advantage to the virus and die out relatively quickly. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter', Why half of India's urban women stay at home. Since the middle of February, this growth rate has settled at approximately 75% higher than other circulating Omicron lineages in England. This sub-lineage, which was designated by Pangolin on 6 December 2021, does not have the spike gene deletion at 69-70 that causes S-gene target failure (SGTF), which has previously been used as a proxy to detect cases of Omicron. Here is what we know about it. UKHSAis acting to get scientific information available as quickly as possible in order to inform the right balance of interventions to prevent transmission and protect lives. A NEW Covid-19 Omicron sub-variant is spreading across Ireland and is the most infectious strain yet. Of those patients admitted to hospital,17had received a booster vaccine, 74 people had 2 doses and 27 people were not vaccinated. Omicron BA2 symptoms include taste loss. Anyone who is contacted because of a link to a probable or possible Omicron case will be asked to take a PCR test, even if they have received a positive COVID-19PCRtestwithin the last 90 days. BA.2.75.2 as a new variant but singled it out as an . 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 . Vaccine efficacy analysis continues to show lower effectiveness for symptomatic Omicron disease. We are continuing to monitor the data closely. Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. However, one must note, these are only early stage symptoms. Neutralisation studies are currently being undertaken at the University of Oxford. Please wear face coverings in line with government guidance, let in fresh air when mixing indoors and wash your hands regularly. SGTF is not a 100% accurate test for Omicron and results are regularly evaluated against sequencing to ensure they are interpreted correctly. Therefore, although early suggestions are that individuals may be less likely to require hospitalisation, many more people are likely to become infected. AstraZeneca was the main vaccine used early in the programme in care homes and among those in clinical risk groups. The Omicron variant of Covid-19 includes the lineages BA.1, BA.2, BA.3 and B.1.1.529. Following the change in Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice yesterday, a booster dose for everyone over 18 years is now recommended at a minimum of 3 months from your last primary course jab. It appears to have a growth advantage compared to the version of Omicron, BA.1, that has swept the globe. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has announced the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529 as a variant under investigation (VUI). There will be no other categorisation of variants, including no variant under investigation (VUI) category. 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. Continue to exercise caution. BA.2 has an increased growth rate compared to BA.1 in all regions of England where there are enough cases to assess it. UKHSA has also released a variant risk assessment for Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, summarising the emerging epidemiology and laboratory evidence. If you have symptoms take a PCR test and isolate at home until you receive a negative result. As is routine for any new variants under investigation,UKHSAis carrying out laboratory and epidemiological investigations to better understand the characteristics of this variant. A booster dose for everyone over 18 years is now recommended and will be available at a minimum of 3 months from your last primary course jab. Analysis shows that protection against symptomatic disease 2 to 4 weeks after a booster dose ranges from around 65% to 75%, dropping to 55% to 65% at 5 to 9 weeks and 45% to 50% 10 weeks or more following the booster dose. However, it should serve as objective evidence that this pandemic is not over. The percentage of people to have received a booster dose will also already be higher in older age groups and those with underlying health conditions due to prioritisation of the rollout so far. Hospital admissions are increasing, and we cannot risk the NHS being overwhelmed. 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. You can change your cookie settings at any time. 1. It was designated a variant of concern (VOC) on Saturday 27 November. They also say that Omicron symptoms are typically mild, and herd immunity is at . Experts say BA.2 has extensive mutations and is about 40 percent more infectious than the original Omicron variant. 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. However, any stay in hospital for a child is too long if youre a parent and its important we all take precautions to avoid the spread of infection. In a subgroup analysis of 4,800 people who were triple-vaccinated and infected with an omicron variant, the authors found that people with BA.2 were 64 percent more likely than BA.1-infected . To date, there have been 426 cases of Omicron BA.2 confirmed by Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), with the earliest dated 6 December 2021. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published the latest variant technical briefing. The most common omicron-related symptoms are: Cough. Those aged 18 to 39 should wait to be called. Early data shows that young children who are hospitalised experience mild illness and are discharged after short stays in hospital. 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. Check benefits and financial support you can get, Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, National flu and COVID-19 surveillance report, higher risk of becoming seriously ill from respiratory infections, including COVID-19, this data should be interpreted with caution, This assessment is based on analysis of UK data, data on Omicron cases is published regularly here, Six cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529, Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: variant risk assessments, Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 variants: technical briefings, Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for local government, let fresh air in if meeting others indoors, wear a face covering or a face mask, particularly if you are in crowded and enclosed spaces. The symptoms of omicron BA.2.75 are mostly flu-like and may last more than 4-5 days. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. It is not unexpected to see new lineages and continued investigation is a normal part of the surveillance of an infectious disease. 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. The worst symptom is a "throat on fire," said University of California, San Francisco's Dr. Peter Chin-Hong. One case is located in Camden, London, and one case is located in Wandsworth, London. 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. As viruses mutate into new variants, they sometimes split or branch off into sub-lineages. Initial data suggests that LFDs are as likely to detect Omicron as other variants including Delta, which has been the dominant variant in the UK from May to December 2021. 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. It contains epidemiological data and updated analysis of COVID-19 variants currently circulating in the UK. XBB.1.5 remains at very low prevalence in the UK, so estimates of growth are highly uncertain. Booster jabs are protecting people against infection and severe disease so I urge you to play your part in our national mission and get boosted now. That's because there could be cross-immunity - an infection with BA.1 could offer some protection against BA.2. Its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. Now more countries, particularly in Asia and Europe, are reporting an increase in cases driven by BA.2. A booster dose for everyone over 18 years is now recommended and will be available at a minimum of 3 months from your last primary course jab. "Looking at other countries where BA.2 is now overtaking, we're not seeing any higher bumps in hospitalisation than expected," the WHO's Dr Boris Pavlin says. Updated Jan. 27, 2023 The omicron subvariant of COVID-19, BA.5, became one of the dominant strains of the virus in the fall of 2022 in the U.S. At that time, it was the most easily spread strain to date and is able to evade immunity from COVID infection and vaccination. While signs remain encouraging on Omicrons severity compared with Delta, the high levels of community transmission continue and may cause pressures on health services. As the coronavirus continues to evolve, a new highly contagious Omicron variant is appearing in India and other nations, including the United States, experts say.. Getty Images BA.2 was. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 5. XBB (V-22OCT-02) is a recombinant lineage derived from 2 previous Omicron sublineages. New studies are being undertaken to assess this further. The v UKHSAwill continue to carry out laboratory and epidemiological investigations to better understand the characteristics of this variant. Those mutations are shared with the original omicron, but BA.2 also has . The genome of VUI-21OCT-01 does not have many mutations compared to Delta. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified 2 further cases of COVID-19 with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in England, in addition to the previous 3 confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529 on 27 and 28 November. 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. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. 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. Since BA.2 is a sub-strain of the Omicron variant, it is expected that its symptoms will be similar. The first genomes of this variant were uploaded to the international GISAID database on 22 November. The proportion of test results displaying SGTF has been very low in recent months but an increase has been observed in the past week. For example, there are still a small number of cases of other variants, such as Alpha, in the UK which would also result in S-gene dropout or there is a lower amount of virus present in the sample where S-gene dropout cannot be confirmed. Francois Balloux, Professor of Computational Systems Biology and director of the UCL Genetics Institute, said that BA.1 and BA.2 "can be considered as two epidemiologically largely equivalent sub-lineages of Omicron". Runny nose/congestion. Overall, the original Omicron lineage, BA.1, is dominant in the UK and the proportion of BA.2 cases is currently low. One study has suggested that it may be difficult to identify this variant . The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published variant technical briefing 37. There are differences in the populations that have received different vaccines. This new mutation dubbed BA.2.75 is concerning scientists because it appears to spread fast, bypassing the protection offered by COVID-19 vaccines and immunity from previous infection, the Associated Press reported Monday. At the moment there is much that is not yet clear. BQ.1 (V-22OCT-01) is a BA.5 sub-lineage which has been designated on the basis of rapid growth. Thanks to very high levels of vaccine coverage we already have a robust wall of defence against COVID-19 as new variants emerge. The population rate of people becoming infected with Omicron after having previously contracted COVID-19 has increased sharply. Due to the early nature of the findings, all estimates are subject to significant uncertainty and are subject to change. Protection against hospitalisation from vaccines is good against the Omicron variant. 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. 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. Our exceptional vaccine rollout means the number of people severely affected by COVID-19 is low, and the UKs innovation and research has discovered life-saving treatments for those most at risk from COVID-19. Neither have currently been designated as variants of concern. 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. Nine cases have also been identified in Scotland, with 5 cases in the Lanarkshire area and 4 in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. 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. We continue to monitor all recombinants closely, routinely through our world-leading genomic surveillance and sequencing capability. Dr Chand said: "So far, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than Omicron BA.1. If you develop any symptoms, isolate immediately and get a PCR test. A runny nose, gastrointestinal issues, headache and a skin rash are other common signs and symptoms. 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. As set out last week, the effectiveness of all vaccines against symptomatic infection continues to be lower in all periods against Omicron compared to Delta. This is very encouraging. The most commonly-reported symptoms with the original Omicron variant were cough, fatigue, headache, congestion, and runny nose. We now know that BA.2 has an increased growth rate which can be seen in all regions in England. 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. An important question is whether BA.2 or BA.3 will become a new dominating "variant of concern". Delta remains the predominant variantin England, accounting for over 99% of all COVID-19 cases. UKHSAs most recent variant technical briefing can be found on GOV.UK. There is further data showing that effectiveness against symptomatic disease is significantly lower compared to the Delta variant, and wanes more quickly. Other countries that have uploaded more than 100 samples are India (530), Sweden (181), and Singapore (127). Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against this new variant please get your first, second, third or booster jab without delay. It is not clear where BA.2 originated, but it was first detected in the Philippines in November. This analysis excludes individuals with confirmed previous COVID-19 infection. 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.