The most affected local authorities are West Northamptonshire, where there are 49 confirmed cases and 68 SGTF, and Manchester, where there are 7 confirmed cases and 61 SGTF. Headache. BA.2 variant symptoms: Spokane Regional Health District Health Officer Francisco Velazquez told KREM 2 News that the BA.2 variant of the omicron variant has some unique symptoms, too. This includes analysing live samples of the new variant in our laboratories to investigate properties such as response to current vaccines. As part of UKHSAs routine genomic surveillance, approximately 15 to 20% of all positive PCR tests are also sent for sequencing. Available data are limited at this early stage, but it remains likely that the cases identified so far are a result of a number of separate introductions into the country. A further 16 cases have been identified in Scotland, bringing the total in Scotland to 29. ; An increase in new cases is being . 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. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimates that if Omicron continues to grow at the present rate, the variantwill become the dominant strain, accounting for more than 50% of all COVID-19 infections in the UK by mid-December. After 2 doses, vaccine effectiveness was 9% and 13% respectively for BA.1 and BA.2, after 25+ weeks. Hospital admissions are increasing, and we cannot risk the NHS being overwhelmed. The first sequences were submitted from the Philippines, and most samples have been uploaded from Denmark (6,411). Runny nose (especially in combination with loss of smell) A runny nose is a universal sign of cold, flu and now COVID-19. We continue to monitor all recombinants closely, routinely through our world-leading genomic surveillance and sequencing capability. 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. There is evidence that protection against symptomatic disease wanes after the second dose of vaccine, and then improves after the booster. The majority of these cases are located in London and the South East. "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. The v 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. BA.1 accounts for most of the cases. Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against this new variant please get your first, second, third or booster jab without delay. The COVID Omicron sub-variant BA.2, informally dubbed the "Stealth Omicron" variant, is able to reinfect people who have already had Omicron, a new study suggests. The BA.2 subvariant of the COVID-19 virus is now the dominant coronavirus strain in the world, and while health officials are saying the subvariant acts like the original omicron version of the . 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. 2023 BBC. 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. 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. It is critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. Data by variant related to intensive care unit admissions is presented and an analysis into the effect of the recent surge of Omicron cases in care homes is also available in the latest technical briefing. Therefore, although early suggestions are that individuals may be less likely to require hospitalisation, many more people are likely to become infected. It is still too early to determine next steps, so please stay cautious this Christmas and get your booster as soon as possible to protect yourself and your loved ones. 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 set out last week, the effectiveness of all vaccines against symptomatic infection continues to be lower in all periods against Omicron compared to Delta. As viruses mutate often and at random, it is not unusual for small numbers of cases to arise featuring new sets of mutations. Omicron has a deletion atposition69/70of the spike proteinwhich allows it to be tracked through S gene target failure(SGTF)in some PCR tests. Apart from dizziness and fatigue, some other signs of BA.2 Omicron Variants include: Fever and body aches Loss of taste Nausea or Vomiting Abdominal pain Fever Extreme fatigue Coughing Sore throat Muscular fatigue Elevated heart rate Breathless in severe cases readmore End of Story 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. There are no confirmed cases in Northern Ireland. There are insufficient severe cases of Omicronas yetto analyse vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation, but this is more likely to be sustained, particularly after a booster. 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. Following the change in JCVI advice earlier this week, 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. The BA.2 subvariant has been referred to as stealth Omicron because it contains genetic mutations that can make it harder to distinguish from the . The team at ZOE, a study that tracks symptoms . UKHSAs latest National flu and COVID-19 surveillance report indicates that the increase in COVID-19 case rates and hospitalisations continues to show signs of slowing. Currently, the Omicron variant has BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, and B.1.1.529 sub-variants, of which the BA.1 was dominant a few months before, and scientists have recently warned about the BA.2 sub-variant . Delta and Omicron Cases are being eclipsed by BA2 Variant rapidly. 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. Other countries that have uploaded more than 100 samples are India (530), Sweden (181), and Singapore (127). The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 13. They save lives and prevent serious illness. The analysis shows that coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the UK are primarily made up of BQ.1 and its sublineages, consistent with the UKHSA risk assessment published in October. The latest number of COVID-19 cases with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in England are published on UKHSAs social media channels. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. Continue to exercise caution. There is currently no evidence of community transmission within the UK. A total 637 cases of XE a recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 have been confirmed in the UK so far. India is another country where BA.2 is rapidly replacing the Delta and Omicron BA.1 variant, according to molecular biologist Bijaya Dhakal. Well send you a link to a feedback form. UKHSA, in partnership with scientific bodies across the globe, is constantly monitoring the status of SARS-CoV-2 variants as they emerge and develop worldwide. The breakdown of cases by local authority is: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified 9 further cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in England, in addition to the previous 13 confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Prior infection is 44% effective at preventing future infection, increasing to 71% with 3 doses of the vaccine. 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. They are our best defence and we have turbocharged our rollout programme inviting 7 million more people over the age of 40 to get their booster jab so even more people get protection from this disease. 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. 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. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 29. As with previous variants, experts believe vaccines will continue to be highly effective against severe illness, hospitalisation, and death. The UKHSAs COVID-19 variant technical briefing 43, published today, includes epidemiological analysis that shows that Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 now make up more than half of new COVID-19 cases in England, accounting for approximately 22% and 39% of cases, respectively. These people are spread around the country and are a mix of age ranges between 18 to 85 years the majority had received 2 doses of vaccination. The latest UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) COVID-19 variant technical briefing, published today, includes updated epidemiological analysis which indicates that Omicron BA.5 has, as expected, become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant in the UK. The proportion of test results displaying SGTF has been very low in recent months but an increase has been observed in the past week. 2. The individuals who have tested positive and their contacts have been asked to self-isolate. B.1.1.529 has a large number of mutations in the gene coding for the spike protein, and also in other parts of the viral genome. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has released variant technical briefing 50. While BA.2 appears to be more transmissible than previous variants, there is no data yet to suggest that it is any more severe. UKHSA has performed an initial laboratory evaluation of the current lateral flow devices (LFDs) for COVID-19 in current use in the UK. Those aged 18 to 39 should wait to be called. However, it should serve as objective evidence that this pandemic is not over. BA.2 is estimated to account for approximately 93.7% of cases in England, with the highest prevalence in the South East (96.4%) and the lowest in the East Midlands (91.1%). More investigation is required to fully determine the extent of these mutations impact. Omicron BA2 symptoms include taste loss. This is still a very small number of cases but is being investigated carefully to understand whether it is related to travel, any other variant or whether there is evidence of spread of Omicron beginning in the community. UKHSA are continuing to monitor data on the BA.2 sub-lineage closely. An important question is whether BA.2 or BA.3 will become a new dominating "variant of concern". 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. These are potentially biologically significant mutations which may change the behaviour of the virus with regards to immune escape, transmissibility or susceptibility to treatments, but this has not been proven. Many people who have Omicron say it feels like a common cold, and here are the 8 early warning signs you need to look out for. It is also absolutely critical that we all do what we can to reduce transmission in the community so that we have time to administer as many booster doses as possible. A runny nose, gastrointestinal issues, headache and a skin rash are other common signs and symptoms. Data on this wont be available for several weeks. The updated risk assessment includes indicators for infection severity in both adults and children. March 31, 2022. 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. Runny nose. 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. ; BA.5 sometimes gives rise to more marked symptomssometimes with digestive symptoms . 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. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published variant technical briefing 24. The omicron variant of the coronavirus was first detected in late 2021. How are Covid rules changing across UK schools? 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. The latest Omicron SARS-CoV-2 subvariant, which scientists have labeled BA.2.12.1, is on track to become the most virulent strain in the United States currently. As is routine for any new variants under investigation, UKHSAis carrying out laboratory and epidemiological investigations to better understand the properties of this variant. 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. Our continued genomic surveillance allows us to further investigate variants that are growing within the UK. The new strain has several key mutations, with the most important of those occurring in the spike protein that studs the outside of the virus. 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). 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. A separate UK study also found higher transmissibility for BA.2 compared to BA.1. Booster doses also increase the protection against symptomatic and asymptomatic infection which will reduce transmission in the population. Everybody who is contacted or has symptoms should take a PCR test as soon as possible, even if they have received a positive COVID-19 PCR test within the last 90 days. 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. Neither have been designated as variants of concern by UKHSA. You have accepted additional cookies. The data so far suggests an increase in overall reinfection rates, alongside an increase in first infections. The early observations for 2 doses of AstraZeneca are particularly likely to be unreliable as they are based on small numbers and are likely to reflect an older population and a population with more co-morbidities than those given the Pfizer vaccine. We have started to see cases where there are no links to travel, suggesting that we have a small amount of community transmission. One individual diagnosed in hospital has sadly died. The World Health Organization has been monitoring SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) since January 2020, during which time the variant Omicron has been identified, which is technically known as BA.1 or B.1.1.529.The WHO is now monitoring a sub-variant of Omicron, known as BA.2, which has been described as "stealth Omicron," because it has genetic mutations that potentially make it . The designation was made on the basis of increasing numbers of BA.2 sequences identified both domestically and internationally. Dr Meera Chand, COVID-19 Incident Director at UKHSA, said: It is the nature of viruses to evolve and mutate, so its to be expected that we will continue to see new variants emerge as the pandemic goes on. "We must remain vigilant and take up vaccinations. There are also hybrid strains, such as XE, which is a combination of BA.1 and BA.2 By Alex Finnis 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. A BA2 variant's symptoms are similar to those of Omicron. We have seen a rise in hospital admissions in line with community infections but vaccinations are continuing to keep ICU admissions and deaths at low levels. UKHSA has also released a variant risk assessment for Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, summarising the emerging epidemiology and laboratory evidence. Cases have been confirmed through whole genome sequencing in all 9 regions of England. And even if it does become the dominant version of Omicron, it may not actually alter the trajectory of the pandemic in countries that have seen a big wave of BA.1. 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. Data and analysis will be released in due course through our regular surveillance reporting. 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 with any other coronavirus (COVID-19) variant, the vast majority do not confer any advantage to the virus and die out relatively quickly. When the reduced risk of hospitalisation was combined with vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease, the vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation was estimated as 52% after one dose, 72% 2 to 24 weeks after dose 2, 52% 25+ weeks after dose 2 and 88% 2 weeks after a booster dose.