We are continuing to monitor the data closely. Please also make sure to follow all Government guidance to reduce the spread of infection. 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. The individuals and their households have been told to self-isolate. 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. 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. Following the change in JCVI advice today, 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. 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. You have accepted additional cookies. Since then, several sub-variants of Omicron surfaced, including BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, and BA.5. Download the data.xlsx. 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. BA.2 is believed to be far more contagious than the earlier Omicron strain, and was blamed for a fresh surge in Denmark. The population rate of people becoming infected with Omicron after having previously contracted COVID-19 has increased sharply. 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 B.1.1.529variant includes a large number of spike protein mutations as well as mutations in other parts of the viral genome. 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. By the summer of 2022, the BA.5 variant was the most dominant strain in the US. 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. 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. 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. 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. Thats why its so important that everybody, everywhere, takes simple steps to protect themselves from infection. However, it should be noted both that this is early data and more research is required to confirm these findings. A detrimental change in biological properties (changes in transmissibility, severity or immune evasion) compared to the current dominant variant. Currently there are 18 UK samples in GISAID, out of a global total of 1,086; 639 samples have been uploaded from Singapore, and it is thought that XBB may be a factor in the recent spike in cases there. Two variants, CH.1.1 and XBB.1.5, appear to have a growth advantage in the UK. 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. We expect the vaccines to show higher protection against the serious complications of COVID-19, so if you havent yet had your first 2 doses please book an appointment straight away. Read about our approach to external linking. A separate UK study also found higher transmissibility for BA.2 compared to BA.1. Where individualsare suspected or confirmed to have theOmicron variantas the result of testing, their close contacts will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace, required to self-isolate and asked to take aPCRtest,regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. BQ.1 (V-22OCT-01) is a BA.5 sub-lineage which has been designated on the basis of rapid growth. 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. In the UK, 38 cases of XF have been identified, though none have been seen since mid February. 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. India is another country where BA.2 is rapidly replacing the Delta and Omicron BA.1 variant, according to molecular biologist Bijaya Dhakal. We have started to see cases where there are no links to travel, suggesting that we have a small amount of community transmission. The data so far suggests an increase in overall reinfection rates, alongside an increase in first infections. UKHSA has also published a breakdown of confirmed Omicron cases and SGTF cases by local authority. 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. 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. It was designated a variant of concern (VOC) on Saturday 27 November. Thats why its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. The analysis shows that coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the UK are primarily made up of BQ.1 and its sublineages, consistent with the UKHSA risk assessment published in October. Whilst the impact of these variants is uncertain, the variant classification system aims to identify potential risk as early as possible. 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 of January 10 2022, 53 sequences of the BA.2 sub-lineage of Omicron had been identified in the United Kingdom. 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. As with previous variants, experts believe vaccines will continue to be highly effective against severe illness, hospitalisation, and death. Current guidance from NHS England is that the main symptoms of Covid continue to be a high temperature, a new continuous cough, a loss or change to your sense. But it is worth noting that Denmark has seen similar trends in terms of hospital admissions and intensive care as the UK has, suggesting BA.2 does not mark a sea-change in severity. These changes will take effect as of 1 April 2022 and will be reflected in full in future technical briefings. The latest number of COVID-19 cases with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in England are published on UKHSAs social media channels. The individual tested positive after travel to the UK and is linked to travel to Southern Africa. Even if a smaller proportion of these individuals require hospitalisation, these are still large numbers of people requiring hospital care and pressures on the NHS will increase. UKHSAwill continue to carry out laboratory and epidemiological investigations to better understand the characteristics of this variant. The earliest of these has a specimen date of 19 January 2022. Wear a mask in crowded spaces and, when meeting people indoors, open windows and doors to ventilate the room. The original Delta variant remains overwhelmingly dominant in the UK, making up approximately 99.8% of all cases. So far, vaccination means that the rise in cases is not translating to a rise in severe illness and deaths. A total 637 cases of XE a recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 have been confirmed in the UK so far. Although hospitalisations and deaths remain low, cases are still high in some areas and some age groups so its important that we continue to act cautiously as restrictions are lifted. 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. 8 Research published in April 2022 in The Lancet also found. This increased to 63% for BA.1 and 70% for BA.2 at 2 weeks following a third vaccine. Currently, approximately half of all tests conducted in the UK are able to detect SGTF. BA.2 is found to be able to alarmingly reinfect patients originally infected by Omicron BA.1. As we cautiously return to Plan A, I encourage you to give yourself and your loved ones the best protection possible and Get Boosted Now. 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. 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. The first sequences were submitted from the Philippines, and most samples have been uploaded from Denmark (6,411). This is very encouraging. 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. 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 . These include a high temperature, a new. That's because there could be cross-immunity - an infection with BA.1 could offer some protection against BA.2. 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. 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 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. Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against this new variant please get your first, second, third or booster jab without delay. Consider wearing a face covering when in crowded places. Previous variants of concern which no longer meet the criteria will be redesignated. 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. But at that point the sub-variant still appeared to account for less than one in 20 cases. UKHSAis carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. 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. One case is located in Camden, London, and one case is located in Wandsworth, London. The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) said the BA.2 sub-lineage was already prevalent in samples it received at the end of January. Increased case detection through focused contact tracing has led to more cases of the Omicron variant being identified and confirmed, as we have seen in other countries globally. The worst symptom is a "throat on fire," said University of California, San Francisco's Dr. Peter Chin-Hong. While specific symptoms to BA.2 are not yet available, the NHS lists the main symptoms for Covid-19 as: a high temperature a new, continuous cough a. People infected with Omicron are also less likely to experience fever or loss of taste and smell. 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. 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. However, increases in SGTF can give a useful early indication of variant spread. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published its latest COVID-19 variant technical briefing. 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. 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. 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. Although there was a rapid increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections in care homes during December 2021 in line with case rises in the community, there has not been an associated increase in hospital admissions. The most common omicron-related symptoms are: Cough. There will be no other categorisation of variants, including no variant under investigation (VUI) category. 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. BA.2 has been under close . 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). 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. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 22. "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. What are the symptoms of BA.2? The individuals that have tested positive and their contacts are all isolating. 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. Other countries that have uploaded more than 100 samples are India (530), Sweden (181), and Singapore (127). 2. Case rates remain high throughout the UK and we must remain vigilant and take up vaccinations. 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. Scientists in the UK and abroad are closely monitoring BA.2, a sub-variant of Omicron. More evidence is needed to know whether this is due to changes in the virus behaviour or to epidemiological conditions. However, one must note, these are only early stage symptoms. 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. BA.2.75.2 as a new variant but singled it out as an . Hospital admissions are increasing, and we cannot risk the NHS being overwhelmed. 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. Please wear face coverings in line with government guidance, let in fresh air when mixing indoors and wash your hands regularly. 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. We should all continue to test regularly with LFDs and take a PCR test if symptoms develop. As of 30 November 2021, there are 22 confirmed cases of Omicron (B.1.1.529), identified through sequencing or genotyping in England. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. Dr Meera Chand, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections, UKHSA, said: Through our genomic surveillance we continue to see evolution of variants in the Omicron family. This will include analysing live samples of the new variant in our laboratories to investigate properties including its response to current vaccines. The data suggests this risk is significantly reduced following a booster vaccine, so I urge everyone to take up their booster when eligible. This analysis excludes individuals with confirmed previous COVID-19 infection. 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. A thirddose was associated with a 68% (95% confidence interval 52 to 82%) reduced risk of hospitalisation when compared to similar unvaccinated individuals. 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. A major ailment is not to be expected for the age group 20-50 years. Runny nose/congestion. This is early-stage analysis and we continue to monitor the data hour by hour. 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.
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