Neither have currently been designated as variants of concern. The two most reported symptom of patients infected by the Stealth Omicron variant is -dizziness and fatigue. The vaccination status was unknown for 6 people, while 8 had received a single dose. A further 16 cases have been identified in Scotland, bringing the total in Scotland to 29. There is currently insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about growth advantage or other properties of this variant. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. Thanks to very high levels of vaccine coverage we already have a robust wall of defence against COVID-19 as new variants emerge. 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. This paper can be found as a pre-print, and the data is referred to in the latest vaccine surveillance report. 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. 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. UKHSA is gathering scientific information as quickly as possible in order to inform the right balance of interventions to prevent transmission and protect lives. None of the cases to date is known to have been hospitalised or died. 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. The proportion of test results displaying SGTF has been very low in recent months but an increase has been observed in the past week. Overall numbers of ICU admissions have decreased over time, but where data was available admissions with Omicron have increased from 9% to more than 50% in the most recent week. This will include analysing live samples of the new variant in our laboratories to investigate properties including its response to current vaccines. 3 Common Omicron BA.2.12.1 COVID-19 Subvariant Symptoms - Good Housekeeping Omicron Sub-Variant BA.2: Symptoms, Differences, And Chances Of What are the symptoms of BA.2? What are the most common symptoms of Omicron BA.2? 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. Overall, the original Omicron lineage, BA.1, is dominant in the UK and the proportion of BA.2 cases is currently low. Omicron BA 2 Covid Variant Severity ,Symptoms - Bareillyinfo The earliest of these has a specimen date of 19 January 2022. A preliminary assessment by UKHSA did not find a difference in vaccine effectiveness, although it said there was no data yet available on severity. 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. The rapid spread of Omicron BA.2: What studies say - Medical News Today While in the UK, the individual was in Westminster, London. To date, there have been 426 cases of Omicron BA.2 confirmed by Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), with the earliest dated 6 December 2021. 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. 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. #India is another country where #SARS_CoV_2 BA.2 is rapidly replacing #Delta & #Omicron BA.1. One individual diagnosed in hospital has sadly died. Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against this new variant please get your first, second or booster jab without delay. BA.2 Symptoms Usually Appear in This Order - Yahoo! SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant - Wikipedia The five key Omicron symptoms. 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. What we know is that it is certainly growing as a proportion of overall cases in the UK. BA.2 attacking abdomen instead of lungs. There is currently no evidence of community transmission within the UK. There were very limited numbers of BA.2 in this study and no inferences can be made regarding BA.2. Get vaccinated and, for those eligible, come forward for your third or booster dose as appropriate as soon as you are called. 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. Wear a mask in crowded spaces and, when meeting people indoors, open windows and doors to ventilate the room. As is routine for any new variants under investigation,UKHSAis carrying out laboratory and epidemiological investigations to better understand the characteristics of this variant. 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. Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said: The latest set of analysis is in keeping with the encouraging signs we have already seen. 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 same happened with Omicron, which includes the lineages BA.1, BA.2, BA.3 and B.1.1.529. As with any other coronavirus (COVID-19) variant, the vast majority do not confer any advantage to the virus and die out relatively quickly. Anewrisk assessment for OmicronVOC-21NOV-01 (B.1.1.529)has also been published and is available here. 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. If you have any symptoms, take a test. Covid 4th wave: New BA.2 variant can impact stomach and intestine, say 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. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 104. 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. The areas with the largest number of confirmed cases are London (146) and the South East (97). Vaccine efficacy analysis continues to show lower effectiveness for symptomatic Omicron disease. Thats why its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets aPCRtest immediately. 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. Dr Jenny Harries, Chief Executive ofUKHSA, said: We are continuing our efforts to understand the effect of this variant on transmissibility, severe disease, mortality, antibody response and vaccine efficacy. So how worried should we be about this emerging variant? The Delta variant, for example, comprises 200 different sub-variants. UKHSA will continue to designate new variants, and these will receive a variant number (in the format V-date-number). Early data shows that young children who are hospitalised experience mild illness and are discharged after short stays in hospital. Work is underway to identify any links to travel. BA.2 Symptoms Doctors Are Seeing The Most Right Now - Yahoo! News Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. Both have 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. These are some of the symptoms that you should be looking out for: High temperature. Coronavirus Omicron Symptoms: 2 new BA.2 Omicron variant symptoms that People suffering From the Omicron BA2 variant said they had fever and body Aches. While signs remain encouraging on Omicrons severity compared with Delta, the high levels of community transmission continue and may cause pressures on health services. 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. 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. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against this new variant please get your first, second, third or booster jab without delay. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. Work is underway to identify any links to travel. The majority of these cases are located in London and the South East. The most important thing everyone can do now is to get any vaccine dose that you are eligible for it is by far the most effective action you can take to protect yourself, your families and your communities. UKHSA are continuing to monitor data on the BA.2 sub-lineage closely. These changes will take effect as of 1 April 2022 and will be reflected in full in future technical briefings. Analysis by the UKHSA suggests it could be substantial, although there is a risk of over-estimating growth advantage in the early stages. But the preliminary assessment found no evidence that vaccines would be any less effective against symptomatic disease for either sub-variant. 2023 BBC. Genomes have now been uploaded from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong but the extent of spread is not yet determined. As with previous variants, experts believe vaccines will continue to be highly effective against severe illness, hospitalisation, and death. The individuals who have tested positive and their contacts have been asked to self-isolate. 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. These groups have been prioritised for booster doses since the start of the rollout in September to increase their protection. 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. The individuals that have tested positive and their contacts are all isolating. Those mutations are shared with the original omicron, but BA.2 also has . Yet fears of another Omicron wave in the United States may be. More detail will be available in UKHSAs regular variant technical briefings. Stealth BA.2 Omicron Variant Can Reinfect People Who Had BA - Newsweek And in England, more than 1,000 confirmed cases of BA.2 have been identified, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Booster doses also increase the protection against symptomatic and asymptomatic infection which will reduce transmission in the population. Its not too late to catch up if youve missed boosters, or even first doses so please take your recommended vaccines. 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. BA.2 continues to demonstrate a substantial growth advantage. We have now identified cases in the East Midlands, East of England, London, South East and North West. . The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is reminding people to ensure their COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date and to continue following COVID-safe behaviours, as latest technical data indicates BA.4 and BA.5 have become dominant in the UK and are driving the recent increase in infections. According to the CDC, the Omicron variant spreads more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Delta variant. 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. 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. Early data shows that young children who are hospitalised experience mild illness and are discharged after short stays in hospital. It appears to have a growth advantage compared to the version of Omicron, BA.1, that has swept the globe. Since then, several sub-variants of Omicron surfaced, including BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, and BA.5. Omicron BA.2 Variant Severity To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. Congestion. 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. AstraZeneca was the main vaccine used early in the programme in care homes and among those in clinical risk groups. Case rates remain high throughout the UK and we must remain vigilant and take up vaccinations. 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. Genome sequencing among the states is not always fair. pic.twitter.com/ESQupxUet4. As of 20 December,132individuals with confirmed Omicron have been admitted to or transferred from emergency departments. UKHSA encourage everyone to continue to follow the most up-to date guidance. "It's important to know and recognize all of the. 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. It includes a complete list of studies planned and already under way into the emerging variant. Omicron BA.2 Variant Symptoms, Severity, Precautions, Mutation 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. What to know about omicron BA.2 variant symptoms - NBC News Whilst the impact of these variants is uncertain, the variant classification system aims to identify potential risk as early as possible. The symptoms of omicron BA.2.75 are mostly flu-like and may last more than 4-5 days. None of these cases are known to have been hospitalised or died. 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". 34 Subsequent studies that were performed in periods when a mix of BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5 viruses circulated have reported low effectiveness of a second booster against . This is more promising data which reinforces just how important vaccines are. There is evidence that protection against symptomatic disease wanes after the second dose of vaccine, and then improves after the booster. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. It contains updated analysis on Omicron hospitalisation risk, vaccine efficacy against symptomatic disease from Omicron, and the COVID-19 reinfection rate. These are potentially biologically significant mutations which may change the behaviour of the virus with regards to vaccines, treatments and transmissibility. The guidance on vaccination is changing to help all of us bolster our defences in the face of this new variant. In some countries, BA.2 accounts for more than half of sequenced Omicron cases, it adds. This analysis shows you are up to 8 times more likely to end up in hospital as a result of COVID-19 if you are unvaccinated. By the summer of 2022, the BA.5 variant was the most dominant strain in the US. The omicron variant of the coronavirus was first detected in late 2021. They save lives and prevent serious illness. There is no data to suggest that BA.2 leads to more severe disease than previous Omicron sub-variants. UKHSA analysis shows that the risk of hospital admission for an identified case with Omicron is reduced compared to a case of Delta. Studies have also shown that Omicron infects and multiplies in the upper airways 70 times faster than the previous Delta variant. We should all continue to test regularly with LFDs and take a PCR test if symptoms develop. The assessment suggests that Omicron is displaying a significant growth advantage over Delta, meaning that it is likely to outcompete Delta in the UK and become the dominant variant. Recent studies suggest that BA.2 has a. UKHSAs new analysis examines 3 recombinants, known as XF, XE, and XD. 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. This is to be expected and UKHSA is monitoring the situation closely. 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. Omicron and its Subvariants: A Guide to What We Know Symptoms of BA.2 appear to largely mirror those of the original version of the omicron variant: an upper respiratory illness that causes sore throat, cough, congestion, headache and fatigue. Two-thirds with Omicron say they had Covid before. This new UKHSA data on Omicron is promising while 2 doses of the vaccine arent enough, we know boosters offer significant protection against the variant and early evidence suggests this strain may be less severe than Delta. Ba.2 Omicron Variant Symptoms - SymptomsTalk.net However, increases in SGTF can give a useful early indication of variant spread. How are Covid rules changing across UK schools? 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.