To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. ROCHESTER, Minn. The World Health Organization designated COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, named omicron, a "variant of concern" on Nov. 26, 2021, and the first confirmed case in the U.S. was on Dec. 1, 2021. While prevalence remains high, make sure to wear your mask in indoor settings and take a lateral flow test before meeting others. 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 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. 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. Stay at home if you have any respiratory symptoms or a fever and limit contact with others until you are feeling better, particularly if they are likely to be at greater risk if they contract COVID-19. While BA.1 and BA.2 are similar, they are 20 mutations apart. Continue to exercise caution. 2. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. Omicron continues to grow faster than Delta, with an increased risk of transmission, particularly in contacts outside of the household. 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. 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. BA.1 accounts for most of the cases. The symptoms of omicron BA.2.75 are mostly flu-like and may last more than 4-5 days. Whilst the impact of these variants is uncertain, the variant classification system aims to identify potential risk as early as possible. 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. We should all continue to test regularly with LFDs [lateral flow devices] and take a PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test if symptoms develop.". SGTF is a useful indicator of the presence of Omicron, because as a rule Delta cases have the S-gene and Omicron cases do not. 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. 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. That contrasts to Denmark, where it has become dominant. As with any other coronavirus (COVID-19) variant, the vast majority do not confer any advantage to the virus and die out relatively quickly. 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. However, increases in SGTF can give a useful early indication of variant spread. More evidence is needed to know whether this is due to changes in the virus behaviour or to epidemiological conditions. 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. 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 has an increased growth rate compared to BA.1 in all regions of England where there are enough cases to assess it. 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. 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. 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. 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. There is currently no data on the severity of BA.2. UKHSA will continue to monitor the situation closely as a matter of routine, as we do all data relating to SARS-CoV-2 variants both in the UK and internationally. Where variant information was available, the majority of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions from 24 November 2021 to 19 January 2022 had Delta infections. What we know is that it is certainly growing as a proportion of overall cases in the UK. There have been recent reports of people who experience symptoms like those of viral meningitis, an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord membranes. Among those who had received 2 doses of Pfizer or Moderna, effectiveness dropped from around 65 to 70% down to around 10% by 20 weeks after the seconddose. It is critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. As of January 10 2022, 53 sequences of the BA.2 sub-lineage of Omicron had been identified in the United Kingdom. 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. 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. Until we have this evidence, we must exercise the highest level of caution in drawing conclusions about any significant risks to peoples health. There are also hybrid strains, such as XE, which is a combination of BA.1 and BA.2 By Alex Finnis 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. More recent data on Omicron cases is published regularly here. But it is worth noting that Denmark has seen similar trends in terms of hospital admissions and intensive care as the UK has, suggesting BA.2 does not mark a sea-change in severity. Cases have been confirmed through whole genome sequencing in all 9 regions of England. Data for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is not included in the UKHSA Technical Briefing. Yet fears of another Omicron wave in the United States may be. 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). "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. We have also learnt that BA.2 has a slightly higher secondary attack rate than BA.1 in households. At this point it is not possible to determine where the sublineage may have originated. Where individualsare suspected or confirmed to have theOmicron variantas the result of testing, their close contacts will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace, required to self-isolate and asked to take aPCRtest,regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. Dr Chand said: "So far, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than Omicron BA.1. It is projected that if current trends continue unchanged, the UK will exceed one million infections a day by the end of this month. Trends in SGTF over and time are however affected by the coverage of laboratories contributing to this surveillance data. We continue to monitor all recombinants closely, routinely through our world-leading genomic surveillance and sequencing capability. 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. While growth rates can be overestimated in early analyses of a new variant, the apparent growth advantage is currently substantial. UKHSA encourage everyone to continue to follow the most up-to date guidance. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. 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. 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. 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. Work is underway to identify any links to travel. At the moment there is much that is not yet clear. 2 or Stealth Omicron causes. As of 30 November 2021, there are 22 confirmed cases of Omicron (B.1.1.529), identified through sequencing or genotyping in England. UKHSAis carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. "It's important to know and recognize all of the. 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. If you have any symptoms of a respiratory infection, and a high temperature or feel unwell, try to stay at home or away from others especially those who are elderly or vulnerable. Thanks to the expertise of scientists at UKHSA and partner organisations, were able to respond quickly to new variations of the virus. You can change your cookie settings at any time. UKHSA designated variant B.1.1.529 as a variant under investigation (VUI) on Thursday 25 November. 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. The latest version raising alarms is an emerging subvariant of Omicron called BA.2. These changes will take effect as of 1 April 2022 and will be reflected in full in future technical briefings. When combined with VE against symptomatic disease, the reduced risk of hospitalisation climbed to 92% 2 to 4 weeks after a third dose of the vaccine, down to 83% after 10 weeks or more. Its 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. The five most common symptoms of Omicron are: runny nose;. The risk of catching or passing on COVID-19 is greatest when someone who is infected is physically close to, or sharing an enclosed or poorly ventilated space with, other people. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) against Omicron has again been updated in this weeks briefing. Getting your booster jab remains the most effective way of protecting yourself and others from infection and severe disease. 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. Due to the early nature of the findings, all estimates are subject to significant uncertainty and are subject to change. Vaccine effectiveness against severe disease from Omicron is not yet known but is expected to be significantly higher than protection against symptomatic disease. 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. We urge these people in particular to get up-to-date. In the last week, VUI-21OCT-01 accounted for approximately 6% of all Delta cases. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. 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. No cases have been identified in the UK. Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said: The latest set of analysis is in keeping with the encouraging signs we have already seen. 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 . Well send you a link to a feedback form. 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. Both are variants in the Omicron family. Thanks to very high levels of vaccine coverage we already have a robust wall of defence against COVID-19 as new variants emerge. BA.2 Omicron Subvariant Can Damage Your Lungs, Cause More Severe Disease Than You Can Expect: Study BA.2 Omicron Subvariant Can Damage Your Lungs, Cause More Severe Disease Than You Can. Studiesof households and contactshave found that there is a higher risk of transmission to contacts from an Omicron case, when compared to Delta. 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. Download the data.xlsx. Work is underway to identify any links to travel to Southern Africa. UKHSA has updated its stay at home guidance and non-household contacts guidance to reflect changes to self-isolation requirements for contacts of people who have been identified as a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. 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. 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. 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. The designation was made on the basis of increasing numbers of BA.2 sequences identified both domestically and internationally. The Delta variant sub-lineage known as Delta AY.4.2 was designated a variant under investigation (VUI) by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on 20 October 2021 and has been given the official name VUI-21OCT-01. There is currently no evidence of community transmission within the UK. In addition, UKHSA has published data which shows the detection of cases exhibiting S-gene target failure (SGTF) in recent weeks across the country. Data continues to show COVID-19 poses a very low health risk to children and infants. 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. It is the best defence we have against this highly transmissible new variant. 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. 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. Now more countries, particularly in Asia and Europe, are reporting an increase in cases driven by BA.2. 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. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. 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. The designation was made on the basis that this sub-lineage has become increasingly common in the UK in recent months, and there is some early evidence that it may have an increased growth rate in the UK compared to Delta. UKHSA are continuing to monitor data on the BA.2 sub-lineage closely. That's because there could be cross-immunity - an infection with BA.1 could offer some protection against BA.2. There is still uncertainty around the significance of the changes to the viral genome, and further analyses will now be undertaken. These are some of the symptoms that you should be looking out for: High temperature. This analysis excludes individuals with confirmed previous COVID-19 infection. 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". Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against becoming severely ill from this new variant please get your first, second, third or booster jab without delay. Well be undertaking further analysis to investigate the small rise in the number of children admitted to hospital but currently coronavirus (COVID-19) poses a very low health risk to children and infants. The population rate of people becoming infected with Omicron after having previously contracted COVID-19 has increased sharply. It was designated a variant of concern (VOC) on Saturday 27 November. These include a high temperature, a new. Typical meningitis symptoms include neck stiffness or pain, numbness, tingling, and sensitivity to light. UKHSA analysis shows that the risk of hospital admission for an identified case with Omicron is reduced compared to a case of Delta. As previously published, data continues to show vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation for Omicron remains high. 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. 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. UKHSA has also published analyses related to the original Omicron strain BA.1. In the age group of 20-50 years, significant severity is not expected. 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. Where individuals are identified as being a possible or probable case of Omicron, their close contacts will be contacted and advised they are required to isolate for 10 days, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or received a negative COVID-19 test result. Neutralisation studies are currently being undertaken at the University of Oxford. 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. 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. Please make sure you follow all the available guidance. For some more vulnerable a third dose is available. Getty Images BA.2 was. BA.2 is believed to be far more contagious than the earlier Omicron strain, and was blamed for a fresh surge in Denmark. UKHSAis carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. 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. A runny nose, gastrointestinal issues, headache and a skin rash are other common signs and symptoms.

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