Those are pretty similar to what people experience with a cold or other seasonal viruses. 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. 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 total number of confirmed cases in England is now 29. India is another country where BA.2 is rapidly replacing the Delta and Omicron BA.1 variant, according to molecular biologist Bijaya Dhakal. Evidence continues to show that Omicron is transmitting more rapidly than the dominant Delta variant. We urge these people in particular to get up-to-date. 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. 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. 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. More recent data on Omicron cases is published regularly here. Top of the list with a prevalence of 80. As is routine for any new variants under investigation,UKHSAis carrying out laboratory and epidemiological investigations to better understand the characteristics of this variant. This analysis is not an assessment of hospital severity, which will take further time to assess. XBB.1.5 remains at very low prevalence in the UK, so estimates of growth are highly uncertain. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published variant technical briefing 37. Taste Lost is one of the Omicron BA2 Symptoms. 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 of 18 July 2022, there were 24 cases of BA.2.75 in the UK. It is therefore vital that people continue to exercise caution in order to limit the transmission of the virus. Data for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is not included in the UKHSA Technical Briefing. 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). BA2 Variant is overtaking Delta and Omicron Cases at rapid speed. 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 any symptoms, take a test. 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. Of those patients admitted to hospital,17had received a booster vaccine, 74 people had 2 doses and 27 people were not vaccinated. UKHSA is monitoring the situation closely, in partnership with scientific and public health organisations across the world. 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. It is not unexpected to see new lineages and continued investigation is a normal part of the surveillance of an infectious disease. 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. Work from home if you are able to, wear a mask indoors around other people, and ventilate indoor spaces well. "We must remain vigilant and take up vaccinations. The symptoms of omicron BA.2.75 are mostly flu-like and may last more than 4-5 days. These changes will take effect as of 1 April 2022 and will be reflected in full in future technical briefings. BA.2, also known as "stealth omicron," is considered a subvariant of omicron. 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. BA.2, also coined as the "stealth" variant, is a relative of Omicron's original variant, BA.1, which tore through the Australian community over Christmas and the New Year period. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 13. While growth rates can be overestimated in early analyses of a new variant, the apparent growth advantage is currently substantial. 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. BA.2 continues to demonstrate a substantial growth advantage. If you develop any symptoms, isolate immediately and get a PCR test. UKHSA is constantly monitoring the situation and working to understand the implications for public health. Lower back pain. The latest version raising alarms is an emerging subvariant of Omicron called BA.2. Working alongside Cambridge University MRC Biostatistics unit, UKHSA analysed 528,176 Omicron cases and 573,012 Delta cases between 22 November and 26 December to assess the risk of hospitalisation in England after testing positive for Omicron. There is currently no data on the severity of BA.2. 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. We should all continue to test regularly with LFDs and take a PCR test if symptoms develop. 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. Analysis by the UKHSA suggests it could be substantial, although there is a risk of over-estimating growth advantage in the early stages. Studiesof households and contactshave found that there is a higher risk of transmission to contacts from an Omicron case, when compared to Delta. Experts say BA.2 symptoms don't seem to be all that distinct from original Omicron (BA.1) or the immediately preceding Delta variant. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. UKHSA is gathering scientific information as quickly as possible in order to inform the right balance of interventions to prevent transmission and protect lives. 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 . BA.3 shares most of its mutations with BA.1 and BA.2 except for one. The proportion of test results displaying SGTF has been very low in recent months but an increase has been observed in the past week. Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. Omicron BA2 symptoms include taste loss. 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. Currently, no experimental data has been reported about BA.2 and BA.3. 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. Everyone should complete a primary course as soon as possible for most this will be a first and second dose. We have now identified cases in the East Midlands, East of England, London and North West. UKHSA has also published a breakdown of confirmed Omicron cases and SGTF cases by local authority. #India is another country where #SARS_CoV_2 BA.2 is rapidly replacing #Delta & #Omicron BA.1. 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. Prior infection is 44% effective at preventing future infection, increasing to 71% with 3 doses of the vaccine. 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. Neither have been designated as variants of concern by UKHSA. Protection against hospitalisation from vaccines is good against the Omicron 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. It was designated a variant of concern (VOC) on Saturday 27 November. Please also make sure to follow all Government guidance to reduce the spread of infection. While signs remain encouraging on Omicrons severity compared with Delta, the high levels of community transmission continue and may cause pressures on health services. Early analyses suggest an increased growth rate compared to BA.1, however, growth rates have a low level of certainty early in the emergence of a variant and further analysis is needed. Wear a mask in crowded places, including public transport and shops, to ensure we all help break the chains of transmission and slow the spread of this new variant. That contrasts to Denmark, where it has become dominant. The five key Omicron symptoms. Inthe SIREN study, a large cohort of healthcare workers are tested regularly by PCR to detect asymptomatic infection in addition to normal testing practices for symptomatic infection. 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. So how worried should we be about this emerging variant? Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said: The latest set of analysis is in keeping with the encouraging signs we have already seen. However, it should serve as objective evidence that this pandemic is not over. The study also showed evidence to suggest that the BA.2 sub-variant is better able to evade vaccines. 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. With the original version of the omicron variant, which swept across the U.S. at a dizzying speed last winter, the loss of taste and smell was not as common as with the earlier alpha and delta variants. 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. Teams nationally and locally are working at pace to identify and trace all close contacts of every Omicron case. Of these, XD and XF are recombinants of Delta and Omicron BA.1, while XE is a recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2. It is testament to the diligence and scientific expertise of my colleagues at UKHSA, and the genomic sequencing capacity developed through the pandemic, that this new variant has been identified and analysed so quickly. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. Runny nose. The technical briefing also includes early analysis of vaccine effectiveness against the Omicron variant compared to Delta. So, like the original omicron strain (BA.1), the primary symptoms of a mild BA.2 infection are a cough, fever, fatigue and possible loss of taste or smell. However, one must note, these are only early stage symptoms. The individual is no longer in the UK, but UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive case visited when they were likely to have been infectious. We have also learnt that BA.2 has a slightly higher secondary attack rate than BA.1 in households. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. Studies have already shown that this virus travels to different parts of the body, therefore gut-related issues are. Continue to exercise caution. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 5. Six cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529 have also been identified in Scotland, with 4 cases in the Lanarkshire area and 2 in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. The team at ZOE, a study that tracks symptoms . There will be a coprimary endpoint : Neutralizing antibody titers against the SARS-CoV-2 variant of most prominent public health interest according to pandemic evolution (among D614G, B.1.351, Omicron sub-variants BA.4-5, BQ1.1 and XBB or another recent variant) and against one of the variant targeted by the vaccines. This is to be expected and UKHSA is monitoring the situation closely. The B.1.1.529variant includes a large number of spike protein mutations as well as mutations in other parts of the viral genome. New studies are being undertaken to assess this further. 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. Omicron has a deletion atposition69/70of the spike proteinwhich allows it to be tracked through S gene target failure(SGTF)in some PCR tests. 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. As of January 10 2022, 53 sequences of the BA.2 sub-lineage of Omicron had been identified in the United Kingdom. This assessment is based on analysis of UK data showing increased household transmission risk, increased secondary attack rates (such as the chance of each case infecting another individual) and increased growth rates compared to Delta. A further case has been identified in Scotland, bringing the total to 10. 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. BA.2 has been under close . More investigation is required to fully determine the extent of these mutations impact. Runny nose/congestion. 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. 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.