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). 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. 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. However, a small change may be enough to cause a difference in the virus properties in some circumstances. There are differences in the populations that have received different vaccines. Omicron continues to grow faster than Delta, with an increased risk of transmission, particularly in contacts outside of the household. 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. 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. Cases have been confirmed through whole genome sequencing in all 9 regions of England. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. Continue to exercise caution. Thats why its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. But at that point the sub-variant still appeared to account for less than one in 20 cases. Neither have currently been designated as variants of concern. How Long Do Omicron BA.2 Symptoms Last? - Verywell Health 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. 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. 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. What Is Your Risk of Getting the Omicron BA.2 Subvariant? - Healthline 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. Work is underway to identify any links to travel to Southern Africa. As always, the booster vaccine remains the best protection against infection. As of January 10 2022, 53 sequences of the BA.2 sub-lineage of Omicron had been identified in the United Kingdom. 'Stealth' Omicron: What You Need To Know About The BA.2 Virus | Glamour UK What doctors wish patients knew about the BA.2 Omicron subvariant Covid BA.2 Omicron variant: The key symptoms to look out for The updated risk assessment includes indicators for infection severity in both adults and children. As I previously reported, omicron subvariants have a shorter incubation period, which is why the symptoms may appear earlier. 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. 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. 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. Dr Chand said: "So far, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than 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. 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. Until we have this evidence, we must exercise the highest level of caution in drawing conclusions about any significant risks to peoples health. Of those with Omicron, 9.5% have had COVID-19 before, which is likely to be a substantial underestimate of the proportion of reinfections, as many prior infections will have been asymptomatic and not picked up by the analysis. 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 . Dr Meera Chand, UKHSA Director of Clinical an Emerging Infection, said: We continue to monitor the emergence of new variants and give them variant designations if they are sufficiently distinct to warrant separate epidemiological and laboratory assessment. According to the CDC, the Omicron variant spreads more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Delta variant. 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. BA.2, also known as "stealth omicron," is considered a subvariant of omicron. The most commonly-reported symptoms with the original Omicron variant were cough, fatigue, headache, congestion, and runny nose. Omicron BA.2: What we know about the Covid sub-variant Where variant information was available, the majority of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions from 24 November 2021 to 19 January 2022 had Delta infections. Omicron BA2 symptoms include taste loss. 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. Prior infection is 44% effective at preventing future infection, increasing to 71% with 3 doses of the vaccine. What We Know about Omicron's BA.2 Variant So Far Previous updates were published by Public Health England. What are the five main Omicron symptoms? - Open Access Government 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. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. In the UK, 38 cases of XF have been identified, though none have been seen since mid February. Dr Jenny Harries, UKHSA Chief Executive, said: Our latest analysis shows an encouraging early signal that people who contract the Omicron variant may be at a relatively lower risk of hospitalisation than those who contract other variants. The majority of these cases are located in London and the South East. 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. 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. It is critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. 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. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. Wear a mask in crowded spaces and, when meeting people indoors, open windows and doors to ventilate the room. Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at UKHSA, said: These early estimates should be treated with caution but they indicate that a few months after the second jab, there is a greater risk of catching the Omicron variant compared to Delta strain. 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. Booster doses also increase the protection against symptomatic and asymptomatic infection which will reduce transmission in the population. 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. 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. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 22. The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) said the BA.2 sub-lineage was already prevalent in samples it received at the end of January. There is no data to suggest that BA.2 leads to more severe disease than previous Omicron sub-variants. Omicron BA.2.75, the variant derived from the BA.2 lineage which was identified internationally earlier this month, has now been categorised as a separate variant and given the. New sub-lineages within Delta continue to be identified. As with previous variants, experts believe vaccines will continue to be highly effective against severe illness, hospitalisation, and death. It contains epidemiological data and updated analysis of COVID-19 variants currently circulating in the UK. What Are the Symptoms of the COVID BA. 2 Variant? Your Questions These changes will take effect as of 1 April 2022 and will be reflected in full in future technical briefings. Anewrisk assessment for OmicronVOC-21NOV-01 (B.1.1.529)has also been published and is available here. 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. Its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets aPCRtest immediately. 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. This designation means that data relating to BA.2.75 will now be reported separately from other BA.2 cases. 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 . 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 What Are the Symptoms of Omicron BA.5? - Verywell Health "We must remain vigilant and take up vaccinations. 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. If you have any symptoms, take a test. 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 population rate of people becoming infected with Omicron after having previously contracted COVID-19 has increased sharply. 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. 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. A total 637 cases of XE a recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 have been confirmed in the UK so far. Omicron Subvariant - BA.2.75 | Narayana Health A NEW Covid-19 Omicron sub-variant is spreading across Ireland and is the most infectious strain yet. "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 UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published the latest variant technical briefing. 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. Studies have already shown that this virus travels to different parts of the body, therefore gut-related issues are. Early data shows that young children who are hospitalised experience mild illness and are discharged after short stays in hospital. It contains updated analysis on Omicron hospitalisation risk, vaccine efficacy against symptomatic disease from Omicron, and the COVID-19 reinfection rate. The team at ZOE, a study that tracks symptoms . A further 3 cases have been identified in Scotland, bringing the total to 13. More recent data on Omicron cases is published regularly here. 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. BA.3 shares most of its mutations with BA.1 and BA.2 except for one. 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. They also say that Omicron symptoms are typically mild, and herd immunity is at . UKHSA is monitoring this closely. 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. Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights: Infections After 2 doses, vaccine effectiveness was 9% and 13% respectively for BA.1 and BA.2, after 25+ weeks. What Is BA.2, the 'Stealth Omicron' Variant - Stealth Omicron Symptoms BA.2 infections in Germany are also growing faster than BA.1 and Delta, according to Dr Meera Chand, Covid-19 director at the UKHSA. BA.2.2 variant symptoms: What are the new COVID symptoms? - Deseret News The individuals that have tested positive and their contacts are all isolating. To date, there have been 426 cases of Omicron BA.2 confirmed by Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), with the earliest dated 6 December 2021. UKHSA will continue to designate new variants, and these will receive a variant number (in the format V-date-number). "It's important to know and recognize all of the. 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". Neither have been designated as variants of concern by UKHSA. 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. Runny nose. 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. Technical Briefing 34 contains further analysis on symptom comparison on Omicron and Delta. While growth rates can be overestimated in early analyses of a new variant, the apparent growth advantage is currently substantial. We urge these people in particular to get up-to-date. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Recent studies suggest that BA.2 has a. 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. 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. Nine cases have also been identified in Scotland, with 5 cases in the Lanarkshire area and 4 in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. The public health advice is the same for all current variants. One individual diagnosed in hospital has sadly died. However, it should serve as objective evidence that this pandemic is not over. 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 areas with the largest number of confirmed cases are London (146) and the South East (97). 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. Read about our approach to external linking. 1. However, one must note, these are only early stage symptoms. The proportion of test results displaying SGTF has been very low in recent months but an increase has been observed in the past week. Those mutations are shared with the original omicron, but BA.2 also has . We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.
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