As always, the booster vaccine remains the best protection against infection. Cases are currently very high in the UK, and even a relatively low proportion requiring hospitalisation could result in a significant number of people becoming seriously ill. 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. SGTF is not a 100% accurate test for Omicron and results are regularly evaluated against sequencing to ensure they are interpreted correctly. According to the COVID Symptom Study, the five most common symptoms are the same: Runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and sore throat. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. Xi Jinping is unveiling a new deputy - why it matters, Bakhmut attacks still being repelled, says Ukraine, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. As with previous variants, experts believe vaccines will continue to be highly effective against severe illness, hospitalisation, and death. 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. This particular recombinant, XE, has shown a variable growth rate and we cannot yet confirm whether it has a true growth advantage. The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) said the BA.2 sub-lineage was already prevalent in samples it received at the end of January. This is early-stage analysis and we continue to monitor the data hour by hour. We have also learnt that BA.2 has a slightly higher secondary attack rate than BA.1 in households. People infected with Omicron are also less likely to experience fever or loss of taste and smell. Based on the reports from doctors treating the Covid variant and patients battling. Work is underway to identify any links to travel to Southern Africa. They say its possible that the virus has now changed its pattern and is affecting the stomach. We are continuing to monitor the data closely. [92] Reactions [ edit] Vaccine producers [ edit] Data on this wont be available for several weeks. 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. Fatigue. This is very encouraging. Where variant information was available, the majority of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions from 24 November 2021 to 19 January 2022 had Delta infections. 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. As of May 2022, BA.2.12.1 was spreading in the US and two new subvariants of Omicron named BA.4 and BA.5, first detected in January 2022, spread in South Africa. Further studies are underway in the UK and abroad. Of these, 20 were in England, 3 in Scotland and 1 in Wales. 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. BA.2 is estimated to account for approximately 93.7% of cases in England, with the highest prevalence in the South East (96.4%) and the lowest in the East Midlands (91.1%). Delta and Omicron Cases are being eclipsed by BA2 Variant rapidly. 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. 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. Analysis from routine contact tracing data indicates that transmission is likely to be higher among contacts of BA.2 cases in households (13.4%) than those for contacts of other Omicron cases(10.3%) in the period 27 December 2021 to 11 January 2022. You have rejected additional cookies. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 22. A growth rate potentially compatible with the eventual replacement of the current dominant variant. Getty Images BA.2 was. Our data also show that 17.5 per cent of people aged 75 years and over have not had a vaccine within the past six months, putting them more at risk of severe disease. UKHSAs new analysis examines 3 recombinants, known as XF, XE, and XD. 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. 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. UKHSA analysis shows that the risk of hospital admission for an identified case with Omicron is reduced compared to a case of Delta. For some more vulnerable a third dose is available. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 29. It is projected that if current trends continue unchanged, the UK will exceed one million infections a day by the end of this month. 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. 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. 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. This designation means that data relating to BA.2.75 will now be reported separately from other BA.2 cases. This includes analysing live samples of the new variant in our laboratories to investigate properties such as response to current vaccines. 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. UKHSA encourage everyone to continue to follow the most up-to date guidance. Here is what we know about it. An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. Until we have this evidence, we must exercise the highest level of caution in drawing conclusions about any significant risks to peoples health. Scratchy throat. The variant technical briefing also includes updated analysis on Omicron BA.2, currently the dominant variant in the UK. 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. UKHSA scientists are urging anyone who has not had all the vaccines they are eligible for to make sure that they get them as soon as possible. Both have links to travel to Southern Africa. Trends in SGTF over and time are however affected by the coverage of laboratories contributing to this surveillance data. The public health advice is the same for all current variants. UKHSA has also this week published further vaccine effectiveness data against hospitalisation following a booster dose. There will be no other categorisation of variants, including no variant under investigation (VUI) category. 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. As of 30 November 2021, there are 22 confirmed cases of Omicron (B.1.1.529), identified through sequencing or genotyping in England. While prevalence remains high, make sure to wear your mask in indoor settings and take a lateral flow test before meeting others. UKHSA, in partnership with scientific bodies across the globe, is constantly monitoring the status of SARS-CoV-2 variants as they emerge and develop worldwide. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. BA.2 attacking abdomen instead of lungs. Top of the list with a prevalence of 80. BA.2 continues to demonstrate a substantial growth advantage. According to the ZOE study - conducted across Omicron and Delta waves for comparison - there are five key symptoms of the Omicron variant. It is one for the scientists to watch, rather than for the public to be alarmed about at this stage. We now know that BA.2 has an increased growth rate which can be seen in all regions in England. Due to the early nature of the findings, all estimates are subject to significant uncertainty and are subject to change. The v However, it should serve as objective evidence that this pandemic is not over. Available data are limited at this early stage, but it remains likely that the cases identified so far are a result of a number of separate introductions into the country. UKHSA designated variant B.1.1.529 as a variant under investigation (VUI) on Thursday 25 November. 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. A preliminary assessment by UKHSA did not find a difference in vaccine effectiveness, although it said there was no data yet available on severity. A thirddose was associated with a 68% (95% confidence interval 52 to 82%) reduced risk of hospitalisation when compared to similar unvaccinated individuals. The pace of sharing sequences by India is very slow, median days from collection to deposition is 69 days according to GISAID. Many people who have Omicron say it feels like a common cold, and here are the 8 early warning signs you need to look out for. 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. A detrimental change in biological properties (changes in transmissibility, severity or immune evasion) compared to the current dominant variant. By the summer of 2022, the BA.5 variant was the most dominant strain in the US. 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. Scientists in the UK and abroad are closely monitoring BA.2, a sub-variant of Omicron. Case rates remain high throughout the UK and we must remain vigilant and take up vaccinations. Please also make sure to follow all Government guidance to reduce the spread of infection. However, vaccinated people are still less likely to get infected than unvaccinated individuals, and they are also less likely to pass it on. People suffering From the Omicron BA2 variant said they had fever and body Aches. UKHSA has also published a breakdown of confirmed Omicron cases and SGTF cases by local authority. 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. This analysis is not an assessment of hospital severity, which will take further time to assess. We should all continue to test regularly with LFDs [lateral flow devices] and take a PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test if symptoms develop.". "It's important to know and recognize all of the. Those mutations are shared with the original omicron, but BA.2 also has . Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: We are learning to live with this virus and thanks to our world-leading surveillance system we can rapidly detect and carefully monitor any genetic changes to COVID-19. AstraZeneca was the main vaccine used early in the programme in care homes and among those in clinical risk groups. They could be strangers (for example people you sit next to on public transport) or people you may have regular contact with (for example friends and work colleagues). The population rate of people becoming infected with Omicron after having previously contracted COVID-19 has increased sharply. ; BA.5 sometimes gives rise to more marked symptomssometimes with digestive symptoms . 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. 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. 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. 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. Those are pretty similar to what people experience with a cold or other seasonal viruses. Analysis shows that protection against symptomatic disease 2 to 4 weeks after a booster dose ranges from around 65% to 75%, dropping to 55% to 65% at 5 to 9 weeks and 45% to 50% 10 weeks or more following the booster dose. Studies have also shown that Omicron infects and multiplies in the upper airways 70 times faster than the previous Delta variant. Those aged 18 to 39 should wait to be called. The majority of these cases are located in London and the South East. Omicron has a deletion atposition69/70of the spike proteinwhich allows it to be tracked through S gene target failure(SGTF)in some PCR tests. However, it remains too early to draw any definitive conclusions on hospital severity, and the increased transmissibility of Omicron and the rising cases in the over 60s population in England means it remains highly likely that there will be significant pressure on the NHS in coming weeks. The BA.2 variant is a sibling of the BA.1, which swept across the country over Christmas. UKHSA continues to examine all available data relating to SARS-CoV-2 variants in the UK and abroad. 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. 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. Our advanced sequencing capabilities enable us to find variants and take rapid action to limit onward spread. 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 . The team at ZOE, a study that tracks symptoms . Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. 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. Anewrisk assessment for OmicronVOC-21NOV-01 (B.1.1.529)has also been published and is available here. Early data shows that young children who are hospitalised experience mild illness and are discharged after short stays in hospital. There are simple things you can do in your daily life that will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections and protect those at highest risk. As part of UKHSAs routine genomic surveillance, approximately 15 to 20% of all positive PCR tests are also sent for sequencing. 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 UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published variant technical briefing 37. Studies have already shown that this virus travels to different parts of the body, therefore gut-related issues are. These are potentially biologically significant mutations which may change the behaviour of the virus with regards to vaccines, treatments and transmissibility. 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. Work is underway to identify any links to travel. While in the UK, the individual was in Westminster, London. A separate UK study also found higher transmissibility for BA.2 compared to BA.1. 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. However, increases in SGTF can give a useful early indication of variant spread. 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. 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. In England, the infection rate increased in those aged 25 years to 49 years and those aged 70 years and over in the week ending 21 February 2023. 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. As the coronavirus continues to evolve, a new highly contagious Omicron variant is appearing in India and other nations, including the United States, experts say.. There can be several reasons for growth advantage, but in the case of BA.4 and BA.5, laboratory data suggests a degree of immune escape which is likely to contribute. Whilst Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 are in the early stages of growth in the UK, analysis of the available data suggests that they are likely to have a growth advantage over the currently-dominant Omicron BA.2 variant. There have been recent reports of people who experience symptoms like those of viral meningitis, an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord membranes. Taste Lost is one of the Omicron BA2 Symptoms. Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Advisor at UKHSA said: It is clear that the increasing prevalence of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 are significantly increasing the case numbers we have observed in recent weeks. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and recommend appropriate public health measures if needed. 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 is updating its variant classification system to give a clearer indication of which variants have significant changes compared to the current dominant variant. If you develop any symptoms, isolate immediately and get a PCR test. I urge you to come forward as soon as youre eligible to help keep yourself and your loved ones safe. 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. UKHSAreleases weekly updates on the number of confirmed new cases of variants of concern and variants under investigation identified in the UK. 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. There is evidence that protection against symptomatic disease wanes after the second dose of vaccine, and then improves after the booster. 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. While there is a suggestion that this wanes slightly after 15 weeks, protection in this age group remains high at over 85%. However, it should be noted both that this is early data and more research is required to confirm these findings. Congestion. This analysis excludes individuals with confirmed previous COVID-19 infection. Yet fears of another Omicron wave in the United States may be. Thats why its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets aPCRtest immediately. 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. Everyone should complete a primary course as soon as possible for most this will be a first and second dose. 2 or Stealth Omicron causes. There is no data to suggest that BA.2 leads to more severe disease than previous Omicron sub-variants. In some countries, BA.2 accounts for more than half of sequenced Omicron cases, it adds. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) against Omicron has again been updated in this weeks briefing. March 31, 2022. A BA2 variant's symptoms are similar to those of Omicron. In the age group of 20-50 years, significant severity is not expected. ; An increase in new cases is being . We have started to see cases where there are no links to travel, suggesting that we have a small amount of community transmission. Analysis by the UKHSA suggests it could be substantial, although there is a risk of over-estimating growth advantage in the early stages. 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). 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. As of 17 May, 115 cases of BA.4 and 80 cases of BA.5 have been confirmed in England and the latest UKHSA variant technical briefing has been published today. You have accepted additional cookies. We continue to monitor all recombinants closely, routinely through our world-leading genomic surveillance and sequencing capability. It has since swept the globe, eventually vanquishing other variants including delta. A total 637 cases of XE a recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 have been confirmed in the UK so far. 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. "We must remain vigilant and take up vaccinations. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has released variant technical briefing 41. A number of Omicron variants are currently circulating in England, many of which have acquired mutations which may produce a degree of immune escape. Thats why its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately.. The most common omicron-related symptoms are: Cough. One study has suggested that it may be difficult to identify this variant . The designation was made on the basis of increasing numbers of BA.2 sequences identified both domestically and internationally. 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. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. It is therefore vital that people continue to exercise caution in order to limit the transmission of the virus. It is not clear where BA.2 originated, but it was first detected in the Philippines in November. 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. There is currently no evidence of community transmission within the UK. Omicron continues to grow faster than Delta, with an increased risk of transmission, particularly in contacts outside of the household. If you have any symptoms, take a test. What are the symptoms of BA.2? As previously published, data continues to show vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation for Omicron remains high. The first genomes of this variant were uploaded to the international GISAID database on 22 November. Vaccine effectiveness against severe disease from Omicron is not yet known but is expected to be significantly higher than protection against symptomatic disease. 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. There is further data showing that effectiveness against symptomatic disease is significantly lower compared to the Delta variant, and wanes more quickly. 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 focussed contact tracing. The proportion of test results displaying SGTF has been very low in recent months but an increase has been observed in the past week. The Omicron variant of Covid-19 includes the lineages BA.1, BA.2, BA.3 and B.1.1.529. Our continued genomic surveillance allows us to detect them and assess whether they are significant. As viruses mutate often and at random, it is not unusual for small numbers of cases to arise featuring new sets of mutations. XBB.1.5 remains at very low prevalence in the UK, so estimates of growth are highly uncertain. Currently, no experimental data has been reported about BA.2 and BA.3. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published a new variant technical briefing containing an updated Omicron risk assessment, alongside analysis on vaccine efficacy, sub-lineages and symptoms.