Any variants showing evidence of spread are rapidly assessed. As of 30 November 2021, there are 22 confirmed cases of Omicron (B.1.1.529), identified through sequencing or genotyping in England. 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. COVID-19 has not gone away, so it is also vitally important that people continue to follow the guidance. That contrasts to Denmark, where it has become dominant. We continue to urge everyone who is eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine and booster. While prevalence remains high, make sure to wear your mask in indoor settings and take a lateral flow test before meeting others. UKHSA has also released a variant risk assessment for Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, summarising the emerging epidemiology and laboratory evidence. 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 . Teams nationally and locally are working at pace to identify and trace all close contacts of every Omicron case. Take a vaccine to protect yourself against COVID-19. Runny or congested nose Feeling fatigued Headache New, continuous cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Muscle or body aches New loss of a sense of taste or smell Sore throat Nausea or vomiting Diarrhoea They advise that if you develop one or more of these symptoms you should take a Covid test as soon as possible. The latest number of COVID-19 cases with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in England are published on UKHSAs social media channels. Of those patients admitted to hospital,17had received a booster vaccine, 74 people had 2 doses and 27 people were not vaccinated. 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. Vaccine efficacy analysis continues to show lower effectiveness for symptomatic Omicron 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. As viruses mutate into new variants, they sometimes split or branch off into sub-lineages. What is the stealth omicron, or BA.2, variant? For the first time, this data includes analysis on vaccine effectiveness 15+ weeks after the booster dose. As of 20 October, there were 15,120 cases of VUI-21OCT-01 confirmed by whole genome sequences in England since it was first detected in July. Therefore, although early suggestions are that individuals may be less likely to require hospitalisation, many more people are likely to become infected. Our data shows that getting the booster vaccine is more effective against this variant than 2 doses alone. This suggests that BA.5 is likely to become the dominant COVID-19 variant in the UK. The first genomes of this variant were uploaded to the international GISAID database on 22 November. "It's important to know and recognize all of the. Studiesof households and contactshave found that there is a higher risk of transmission to contacts from an Omicron case, when compared to Delta. As prevalence increases, its more important than ever that we all remain alert, take precautions, and ensure that were up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations, which remain our best form of defence against the virus. 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. The study also showed evidence to suggest that the BA.2 sub-variant is better able to evade vaccines. Read about our approach to external linking. The five most common symptoms of Omicron are: runny nose;. Work is underway to identify any links to travel. If you have symptoms take a PCR test and isolate at home until you receive a negative result. To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. 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. Both have links to travel to Southern Africa. Currently, no experimental data has been reported about BA.2 and BA.3. No cases have been identified in the UK. 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 . In a lot of ways, it's a bad cold, a lot of respiratory symptoms, stuffy nose, coughing, body aches and fatigue," said Dr. Dennis Cunningham, the system medical director of infection control and. BA.2 is found to be able to alarmingly reinfect patients originally infected by Omicron BA.1. Thats why its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets aPCRtest immediately. 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 After 2 doses, vaccine effectiveness was 9% and 13% respectively for BA.1 and BA.2, after 25+ weeks. Scientists in the UK and abroad are closely monitoring BA.2, a sub-variant of Omicron. 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. 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). To date, there have been 426 cases of Omicron BA.2 confirmed by Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), with the earliest dated 6 December 2021. In total, 40 countries have uploaded 8,040 BA.2 sequences to GISAID since 17 November 2021. Since the middle of February, this growth rate has settled at approximately 75% higher than other circulating Omicron lineages in England. The analysis looked at 581 people with confirmed Omicron. The omicron variant of the coronavirus was first detected in late 2021. Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published analyses of Omicron sub-lineage BA.2. 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 first sequences were submitted from the Philippines, and most samples have been uploaded from Denmark (6,411). 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. Taste Lost is one of the Omicron BA2 Symptoms. A detrimental change in biological properties (changes in transmissibility, severity or immune evasion) compared to the current dominant variant. An individual with Omicron is estimated to be between 31 and 45% less likely to attend A&E compared to Delta, and 50 to 70% less likely to be admitted to hospital. Congestion. Technical Briefing 34 contains further analysis on symptom comparison on Omicron and Delta. The original Delta variant remains overwhelmingly dominant in the UK, making up approximately 99.8% of all cases. 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. Following the first 2 confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529 on 27 November, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified one further case of COVID-19 with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in the UK. So far, vaccination means that the rise in cases is not translating to a rise in severe illness and deaths. More evidence is needed to know whether this is due to changes in the virus behaviour or to epidemiological conditions. It remains vital that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets aPCRtest immediately. It has since swept the globe, eventually vanquishing other variants including delta. The two most reported symptom of patients infected by the Stealth Omicron variant is -dizziness and fatigue. Dr Meera Chand, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections at UKHSA, said: The reclassification of these variants as variants of concern reflects emerging evidence on the growth of BA.4 and BA.5 internationally and in the UK. UKHSA is updating its variant classification system to give a clearer indication of which variants have significant changes compared to the current dominant variant. 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. The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) said the BA.2 sub-lineage was already prevalent in samples it received at the end of January. 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. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. SUMMARY : The basics of the Omicron sub-variant, the BA.5, which is currently the majority in France: BA.5 is more contagious than BA.2 (January wave), which was itself more contagious than BA.1 and even more than Delta (variant 2021). Dr Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said: Hospitalisations always lag a few weeks behind infections, therefore it isnt surprising that we have started to see people being admitted to hospital with the Omicron variant. Fatigue. All 3 subvariants have spike protein mutations of L452 and elude immunity from prior BA1 infection. We have also learnt that BA.2 has a slightly higher secondary attack rate than BA.1 in households. 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. UKHSA has also this week published further vaccine effectiveness data against hospitalisation following a booster dose. People aged 75 and over remain at particular risk of severe disease if they are not up to date with their vaccinations. We are working as fast as possible to gather more evidence about any impact the new variant may have on severity of disease or vaccine effectiveness. All age groups are affected, including the 75s and over, who are due a spring booster jab to top up protection. Cases have been confirmed through whole genome sequencing in all 9 regions of England. 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. 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. Added breakdown of cases by local authority to latest update. Typical meningitis symptoms include neck stiffness or pain, numbness, tingling, and sensitivity to light. It was designated a variant of concern (VOC) on Saturday 27 November. BA.2 has been under close . The full document and underlying data is available on GOV.UK. Since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified two subvariants, BA.1.1 and BA.2. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. However, vaccinated people are still less likely to get infected than unvaccinated individuals, and they are also less likely to pass it on. These include a high temperature, a new. Omicron BA.4 and Omicron BA.5 were designated as variants of concern on 18 May on the basis of an apparent growth advantage over the previously-dominant Omicron BA.2 variant. Our data shows that LFD tests are similarly able to detect COVID-19 in individuals who have been exposed to Omicron as in those exposed to previous variants. 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. Since then, several sub-variants of Omicron surfaced, including BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, and BA.5. A growth rate potentially compatible with the eventual replacement of the current dominant variant. For some more vulnerable a third dose is available. Neither have been designated as variants of concern by UKHSA. 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. Based on the reports from doctors treating the Covid variant and patients battling. As viruses mutate often and at random, it is not unusual for small numbers of cases to arise featuring new sets of mutations. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? They also say that Omicron symptoms are typically mild, and herd immunity is at . The individuals who have tested positive and their contacts are all isolating. It is already the dominant variant in several states and likely drove the country's recent third wave of infections. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 29. Neither have currently been designated as variants of concern. This will include analysing live samples of the new variant in our laboratories to investigate properties such as response to current vaccines. Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. 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. 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. Vaccine effectiveness against severe disease from Omicron is not yet known but is expected to be significantly higher than protection against symptomatic disease. As always, the booster vaccine remains the best protection against infection. 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. Runny nose (especially in combination with loss of smell) A runny nose is a universal sign of cold, flu and now 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. Please come forward to receive your booster as soon as possible. Please also make sure to follow all Government guidance to reduce the spread of infection. According to the ZOE study - conducted across Omicron and Delta waves for comparison - there are five key symptoms of the Omicron variant. UKHSAs latest analysis suggests that Omicron BA.5 is growing 35.1% faster than Omicron BA.2, while Omicron BA.4 is growing approximately 19.1% faster. A runny nose, gastrointestinal. Both are variants in the Omicron family. Previous updates were published by Public Health England. There have been recent reports of people who experience symptoms like those of viral meningitis, an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord membranes. Studies have also shown that Omicron infects and multiplies in the upper airways 70 times faster than the previous Delta variant. There is currently insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about growth advantage or other properties of this variant. But at that point the sub-variant still appeared to account for less than one in 20 cases. UKHSA is gathering scientific information as quickly as possible in order to inform the right balance of interventions to prevent transmission and protect lives. 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. What are the most common symptoms of Omicron BA.2? 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. A second BTN162b2 booster was previously found to be 52% and 72% effective in preventing Omicron BA.1 infection and hospitalization, respectively, in adults 60 years. 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 individual tested positive after travel to the UK and is linked to travel to Southern Africa. 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. There is insufficient data to make any assessment of protection against severe disease, or to assess the severity of illness caused by Omicron. Dr Meera Chand, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections, UKHSA, said: Through our genomic surveillance we continue to see evolution of variants in the Omicron family. UKHSA continues to monitor and study variants of SARS-CoV-2 closely and is working with academic partners to rapidly assess the significance of the lineages BA.4 and BA.5. However, the preliminary data showed effectiveness against the new variant appears to increase considerably in the early period after a booster dose, providing around 70% to 75% protection against symptomatic infection. 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. As with previous variants, experts believe vaccines will continue to be highly effective against severe illness, hospitalisation, and death. 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. Experts in Kolkata say that BA.2 symptoms are mostly associated with abdomen and stomach instead of cough or shortness of breath. 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. Omicron soon began branching off into a number of subvariants: BA.2 took off in the spring, and BA.5 came to dominate towards the end of the summer. 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. XBB.1.5 remains at very low prevalence in the UK, so estimates of growth are highly uncertain. Studies have already shown that this virus travels to different parts of the body, therefore gut-related issues are. 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 focussed contact tracing. UKHSA encourage everyone to continue to follow the most up-to date guidance. Whilst the impact of these variants is uncertain, the variant classification system aims to identify potential risk as early as possible. A total 637 cases of XE a recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 have been confirmed in the UK so far. Work is underway to identify any links to travel to Southern Africa. Genomes have now been uploaded from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong but the extent of spread is not yet determined. UKHSA is undertaking further detailed studies. 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. Lower back pain. And in England, more than 1,000 confirmed cases of BA.2 have been identified, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). There is further data showing that effectiveness against symptomatic disease is significantly lower compared to the Delta variant, and wanes more quickly. 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. Omicron sublineages BQ.1 and XBB have been given UKHSA variant designations to facilitate continued studies. So far, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than Omicron BA.1, but data is limited and UKHSA continues to investigate. But Omicron is an umbrella term for several closely related lineages of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the most common of which is the BA.1 lineage. 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. The Omicron BA.2 subvariant is fast becoming the dominant strain of COVID-19, with symptoms similar to previous strains of the virus. This is consistent with analysis published yesterday by Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh. There are differences in the populations that have received different vaccines. In its early days, the variant caused an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases in South Africathey went from 300 a day in mid-November 2021 to 3,000 a day at the end of that month. XBB (V-22OCT-02) is a recombinant lineage derived from 2 previous Omicron sublineages. Omicron BA2 symptoms include taste loss. This is more promising data which reinforces just how important vaccines are. Other countries that have uploaded more than 100 samples are India (530), Sweden (181), and Singapore (127). 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 latest variant technical briefing suggests that Omicron continues to grow rapidly in all regions of England as measured by confirmed cases and S gene target failure (SGTF). BA.2, also known as "stealth omicron," is considered a subvariant of omicron. Getty Images BA.2 was. 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 . Headache. The vaccination status was unknown for 6 people, while 8 had received a single dose. The symptoms of omicron BA.2.75 are mostly flu-like and may last more than 4-5 days. As of 24 January 2022, 1,072 genomically confirmed cases of BA.2 have been identified in England and all assessments remain preliminary whilst case numbers are relatively low. Increased case detection through focused contact tracing has led to more cases of the Omicron variant being identified and confirmed, as we have seen in other countries globally. Studies of contacts show that Omicron is transmitting more effectively than Delta. However, it should be noted both that this is early data and more research is required to confirm these findings. There will be no other categorisation of variants, including no variant under investigation (VUI) category. Get vaccinated and, for those eligible, come forward for your third or booster dose as appropriate as soon as you are called. The latest version raising alarms is an emerging subvariant of Omicron called BA.2. These are potentially biologically significant mutations which may change the behaviour of the virus with regards to vaccines, treatments and transmissibility. The five key Omicron symptoms. 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. 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. Omicron BA.2 lacks the genetic deletion on the spike protein which produces S-gene target failure (SGTF) in some polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which has been used as a proxy for Omicron cases previously. In addition, UKHSA has published data which shows the detection of cases exhibiting S-gene target failure (SGTF) in recent weeks across the country. Our continued genomic surveillance allows us to further investigate variants that are growing within the UK. UKHSA has performed an initial laboratory evaluation of the current lateral flow devices (LFDs) for COVID-19 in current use in the UK. Booster doses also increase the protection against symptomatic and asymptomatic infection which will reduce transmission in the population. A runny nose, gastrointestinal issues, headache and a skin rash are other common signs and symptoms. As of January 10 2022, 53 sequences of the BA.2 sub-lineage of Omicron had been identified in the United Kingdom.
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