An estimated 78.7% of confirmed cases in England are BA.5 which was first identified in April and was designated as a Variant of Concern on 18 May. That contrasts to Denmark, where it has become dominant. Thats why its so important that everybody, everywhere, takes simple steps to protect themselves from infection. 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. The B.1.1.529variant includes a large number of spike protein mutations as well as mutations in other parts of the viral genome. Face coverings in crowded indoor spaces and hand washing will help to reduce transmission of infection and are especially important if you have any respiratory symptoms. 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. UKHSA Chief Executive, Jenny Harries said: I want to thank everyone who has been working globally and locally to help us act incredibly quickly in response to the Omicron variant. A NEW Covid-19 Omicron sub-variant is spreading across Ireland and is the most infectious strain yet. The v As always, the booster vaccine remains the best protection against infection. 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 . Two variants, CH.1.1 and XBB.1.5, appear to have a growth advantage in the UK. A number of Omicron variants are currently circulating in England, many of which have acquired mutations which may produce a degree of immune escape. moderate COVID-19 symptoms who are at high risk of . 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. 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. Its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets aPCRtest immediately. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 22. The risk assessment also suggests that Omicron displays a reduction in protection offered by having had a previous infection or vaccination. It is not unexpected to see new lineages and continued investigation is a normal part of the surveillance of an infectious disease. While prevalence remains high, make sure to wear your mask in indoor settings and take a lateral flow test before meeting others. It is one for the scientists to watch, rather than for the public to be alarmed about at this stage. To date, there have been 426 cases of Omicron BA.2 confirmed by Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), with the earliest dated 6 December 2021. As viruses mutate often and at random, it is not unusual for small numbers of cases to arise featuring new sets of mutations. What are the most common symptoms of Omicron BA.2? Teams nationally and locally are working at pace to identify and trace all close contacts of every Omicron case. 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. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published variant technical briefing 37. Of these, 20 were in England, 3 in Scotland and 1 in Wales. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published a new variant technical briefing containing updated analysis on Omicron hospitalisation risk and vaccine efficacy against symptomatic disease and hospitalisation. UKHSA Chief Medical Advisor, Dr Susan Hopkins said: It is increasingly evident that Omicron is highly infectious and there is emerging laboratory and early clinical evidence to suggest that both vaccine-acquired and naturally acquired immunity against infection is reduced for this variant. SGTF is not a 100% accurate test for Omicron and results are regularly evaluated against sequencing to ensure they are interpreted correctly. What we know is that it is certainly growing as a proportion of overall cases in the UK. The technical briefing also includes early analysis of vaccine effectiveness against the Omicron variant compared to Delta. BA.1 accounts for most of the cases. UKHSA has also this week published further vaccine effectiveness data against hospitalisation following a booster dose. There is insufficient data to make any assessment of protection against severe disease, or to assess the severity of illness caused by Omicron. Please take up this offer as soon as you are invited to protect yourself, your families and your communities. 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. Vaccination remains our best defence against future COVID-19 waves, so it is still as important as ever that people come take up all the doses for which they are eligible as soon as possible. Our data shows that getting the booster vaccine is more effective against this variant than 2 doses alone. Headache. 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. 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. At this point it is not possible to determine where the sublineage may have originated. Thanks to the expertise of scientists at UKHSA and partner organisations, were able to respond quickly to new variations of the virus. UKHSAs most recent variant technical briefing includes examination of a number of recombinant variants which have been identified in the UK, as well as updated epidemiological and genomic analysis of Omicron BA.2. However, with the spread of BA.4 and BA.5, that symptom seems to have returned, some doctors note. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published variant technical briefing 24. This is very encouraging. 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. Our continued genomic surveillance allows us to further investigate variants that are growing within the UK. 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. Due to the early nature of the findings, all estimates are subject to significant uncertainty and are subject to change. BA.2, also known as "stealth omicron," is considered a subvariant of omicron. Read about our approach to external linking. Get vaccinated and, for those eligible, come forward for your third or booster dose as appropriate as soon as you are called. The proportion of test results displaying SGTF has been very low in recent months but an increase has been observed in the past week. . Of those patients admitted to hospital,17had received a booster vaccine, 74 people had 2 doses and 27 people were not vaccinated. The areas with the largest number of confirmed cases are London (146) and the South East (97). 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. An important question is whether BA.2 or BA.3 will become a new dominating "variant of concern". It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Protection against hospitalisation from vaccines is good against the Omicron variant. These changes will take effect as of 1 April 2022 and will be reflected in full in future technical briefings. You will not always know whether someone you come into contact with is at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from respiratory infections, including COVID-19. 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. The vaccination status was unknown for 6 people, while 8 had received a single dose. Runny nose/congestion. Here is what we know about it. 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. 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. The sub-variant of Omicron has been detected in 57 countries now, the WHO says. The Omicron variant sub-lineage known as BA.2 has been designated a variant under investigation ( VUI-22JAN-01) by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Two-thirds with Omicron say they had Covid before. 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. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. 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 designation V-22JUL-01. At the moment there is much that is not yet clear. Work is underway to identify any links to travel. The original Delta variant remains overwhelmingly dominant in the UK, making up approximately 99.8% of all cases. Recent studies suggest that BA.2 has a. There is still uncertainty around the significance of the changes to the viral genome, and further analyses will now be undertaken. 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 UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published analyses of Omicron sub-lineage BA.2. The latest version raising alarms is an emerging subvariant of Omicron called BA.2. 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. Ongoing analysis by UKHSA has found no evidence that infection with Omicron BA.2 results in a greater risk of hospitalisation, compared to Omicron BA.1. It has since swept the globe, eventually vanquishing other variants including delta. 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. These are potentially biologically significant mutations which may change the behaviour of the virus with regards to vaccines, treatments and transmissibility. Neutralisation studies are currently being undertaken at the University of Oxford. BA.2 has been under close . We continue to urge everyone who is eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine and booster. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. BA.2 is found to be able to alarmingly reinfect patients originally infected by Omicron BA.1. Two major BA.2 variant symptoms include dizziness and fatigue, as I wrote for the Deseret News. Vaccine efficacy analysis continues to show lower effectiveness for symptomatic Omicron disease. There are indications of a small rise in children admitted to hospital, but these early signals need further investigations before we can draw any conclusions about whether Omicron causes more severe illness in children. Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against this new variant please get your first, second or booster jab without delay. Omicron continues to grow faster than Delta, with an increased risk of transmission, particularly in contacts outside of the household.