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One dose of any vaccine was associated with a 35% reduced risk of hospitalisation among symptomatic cases with the Omicron variant, 2 doses with a 67% reduction up to 24 weeks after the seconddose and a 51% reduced risk 25 or more weeks after the seconddose. This is more promising data which reinforces just how important vaccines are. 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. 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. We should all continue to test regularly with LFDs [lateral flow devices] and take a PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test if symptoms develop.". 'Stealth' Omicron: What You Need To Know About The BA.2 Virus | Glamour UK The individuals who have tested positive and their contacts are all isolating. Please take up this offer as soon as you are invited to protect yourself, your families and your communities. As always, the booster vaccine remains the best protection against infection. UKHSA has also released a variant risk assessment for Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, summarising the emerging epidemiology and laboratory evidence. While signs remain encouraging on Omicrons severity compared with Delta, the high levels of community transmission continue and may cause pressures on health services. 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 also learnt that BA.2 has a slightly higher secondary attack rate than BA.1 in households. What doctors wish patients knew about the BA.2 Omicron subvariant "We must remain vigilant and take up vaccinations. To date, there have been 426 cases of Omicron BA.2 confirmed by Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), with the earliest dated 6 December 2021. Initial data suggests that LFDs are as likely to detect Omicron as other variants including Delta, which has been the dominant variant in the UK from May to December 2021. The BA.2 subvariant of Omicron, or the "stealth" variant, has been outcompeting the previously dominant BA.1 subvariant in several countries. Teams nationally and locally are working at pace to identify and trace all close contacts of every Omicron case. The UKHSAs COVID-19 variant technical briefing 43, published today, includes epidemiological analysis that shows that Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 now make up more than half of new COVID-19 cases in England, accounting for approximately 22% and 39% of cases, respectively. A thirddose was associated with a 68% (95% confidence interval 52 to 82%) reduced risk of hospitalisation when compared to similar unvaccinated individuals. Omicron Infection Timeline: Exposure to Immunity - Health They save lives and prevent serious illness. This paper can be found as a pre-print, and the data is referred to in the latest vaccine surveillance report. An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. 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 . Twoto4 weeks after a booster dose, vaccine effectiveness ranged from around 65 to 75%, dropping to 55 to 70% at 5 to 9 weeks and 40 to 50% from 10+ weeks after the booster. The most common omicron-related symptoms are: Cough. These people are spread around the country and are a mix of age ranges between 18 to 85 years the majority had received 2 doses of vaccination. 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. 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. COVID & Gut Health: Why Are Omicron, BA.2 Causing More - TheQuint Cases have been confirmed through whole genome sequencing in all 9 regions of England. Our advanced sequencing capabilities enable us to find variants and take rapid action to limit onward spread. There is insufficient data to make any assessment of protection against severe disease, or to assess the severity of illness caused by Omicron. Covid BA.2 Omicron variant: The key symptoms to look out for In the last week, VUI-21OCT-01 accounted for approximately 6% of all Delta cases. What is the Covid BA.2 variant? Symptoms of Omicron sub-variant #India is another country where #SARS_CoV_2 BA.2 is rapidly replacing #Delta & #Omicron BA.1. 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. We are continuing to monitor the data closely. XBB.1.5 remains at very low prevalence in the UK, so estimates of growth are highly uncertain. The Delta variant sub-lineage known as Delta AY.4.2 was designated a variant under investigation (VUI) by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on 20 October 2021 and has been given the official name VUI-21OCT-01. The technical briefing also includes early analysis of vaccine effectiveness against the Omicron variant compared to Delta. This suggests that, as immunity begins to wane, these newly emerging BA.2 variants may fuel future waves of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the age group of 20-50 years, significant severity is not expected. What Are the Symptoms of Omicron BA.5? - Verywell Health 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. Trends in SGTF over and time are however affected by the coverage of laboratories contributing to this surveillance data. This is very encouraging. 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. 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. Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: This data is yet more evidence that vaccines remain our best line of defence against COVID-19. 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 its latest COVID-19 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. Previous variants of concern which no longer meet the criteria will be redesignated. These early findings should be interpreted with caution as transmission data and dynamics can fluctuate, meaning that early findings can change quickly when new variants are identified. It is the best defence we have against this highly transmissible new variant. However, with the spread of BA.4 and BA.5, that symptom seems to have returned, some doctors note. According to the ZOE study - conducted across Omicron and Delta waves for comparison - there are five key symptoms of the Omicron variant. 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). At this point it is not possible to determine where the sublineage may have originated. Thanks to very high levels of vaccine coverage we already have a robust wall of defence against COVID-19 as new variants emerge. So far there is not enough evidence to draw conclusions about transmissibility, severity or vaccine effectiveness. They also say that Omicron symptoms are typically mild, and herd immunity is at . This analysis is not an assessment of hospital severity, which will take further time to assess. People aged 75 and over remain at particular risk of severe disease if they are not up to date with their vaccinations. Night sweats Scratchy throat Dry cough Mild muscle aches In data published by the UKHSA on January 14, they found that NHS test and trace data revealed a loss of smell or taste was reported less. Once again, we urge everyone who is able to get a booster jab to come forward and do so. It is critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. The guidance on vaccination is changing to help all of us bolster our defences in the face of this new variant. Currently, approximately half of all tests conducted in the UK are able to detect SGTF. Technical Briefing 34 contains further analysis on symptom comparison on Omicron and Delta. The team at ZOE, a study that tracks symptoms . 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. The variant technical briefing also includes updated analysis on Omicron BA.2, currently the dominant variant in the UK. 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. SGTF is not a 100% accurate test for Omicron and results are regularly evaluated against sequencing to ensure they are interpreted correctly. Omicron BA.5 variant | COVID-19 | UC Davis Health 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. 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. Experts say BA.2 has extensive mutations and is about 40 percent more infectious than the original Omicron variant. It is already the dominant variant in several states and likely drove the country's recent third wave of infections. This will include analysing live samples of the new variant in our laboratories to investigate properties such as response to current vaccines. There is no data to suggest that BA.2 leads to more severe disease than previous Omicron sub-variants. BA.2 has an increased growth rate compared to BA.1 in all regions of England where there are enough cases to assess it. The UK has been hard-hit by a further spike in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks, with infections being driven by a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant known as BA.2 or "Stealth Omicron". 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. 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 . In some places, growth in recorded cases of the sub-variant has been sharp. 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. Its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets aPCRtest immediately. This is to be expected and UKHSA is monitoring the situation closely. Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said: Todays new data shows how important booster jabs are to protect us against this variant. 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. Please also make sure to follow all Government guidance to reduce the spread of infection. 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. We continue to monitor all recombinants closely, routinely through our world-leading genomic surveillance and sequencing capability. The sub-variant of Omicron has been detected in 57 countries now, the WHO says. Currently, no experimental data has been reported about BA.2 and BA.3. 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. We have now identified cases in the East Midlands, East of England, London, South East and North West. As viruses mutate often and at random, it is not unusual for small numbers of cases to arise featuring new sets of mutations. Dr Meera Chand, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infection at UKHSA, said: It is not unexpected to see new variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge. A major ailment is not to be expected for the age group 20-50 years. 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. So far, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than Omicron BA.1, but data is limited and UKHSA continues to investigate. Omicron BA.2 Variant Severity A further 16 cases have been identified in Scotland, bringing the total in Scotland to 29. 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. 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 . moderate COVID-19 symptoms who are at high risk of . What we know is that it is certainly growing as a proportion of overall cases in the UK. Work from home if you are able to, wear a mask indoors around other people, and ventilate indoor spaces well. As viruses mutate into new variants, they sometimes split or branch off into sub-lineages. However, one must note, these are only early stage symptoms. Data on this wont be available for several weeks. Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights: Infections 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. These are some of the symptoms that you should be looking out for: High temperature. Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against this new variant please get your first, second, third or booster jab without delay. Delta remains the predominant variantin England, accounting for over 99% of all COVID-19 cases. If you develop any symptoms, isolate immediately and get a PCR test. What to know about omicron BA.2 variant symptoms - NBC News UKHSAs latest National flu and COVID-19 surveillance report indicates that the increase in COVID-19 case rates and hospitalisations continues to show signs of slowing. Omicron symptoms: What we know about illness caused by the new subvariants BA.2 Symptoms Usually Appear in This Order - Yahoo! 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. The study also showed evidence to suggest that the BA.2 sub-variant is better able to evade vaccines. It includes a complete list of studies planned and already under way into the emerging variant. However, increases in SGTF can give a useful early indication of variant spread. 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. However, some experts believe that BA.2 doesn't present symptoms different from the original Omicron. 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. Omicron BA.2 COVID Variant Symptoms Explained As New U.S - Newsweek Other countries that have uploaded more than 100 samples are India (530), Sweden (181), and Singapore (127). It is not clear where BA.2 originated, but it was first detected in the Philippines in November. How Long Do Omicron BA.2 Symptoms Last? - Verywell Health Whilst there are insufficient data to quantify either vaccine effectiveness or risk of reinfection in the UK exactly, the observed growth, case distribution and early analyses in both South Africa and the UK are consistent with some loss of immune protection against infection. As previously published, data continues to show vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation for Omicron remains high. 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. UKHSA is monitoring the situation closely, in partnership with scientific and public health organisations across the world. 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. Fourteen people are reported to have died within 28 days of an Omicron diagnosis, ranging in age from 52 to 96 years old. After 2 doses, vaccine effectiveness was 9% and 13% respectively for BA.1 and BA.2, after 25+ weeks. 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. A separate UK study also found higher transmissibility for BA.2 compared to BA.1. Stealth BA.2 Omicron Variant Can Reinfect People Who Had BA - Newsweek 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. Dizziness, Fatigue: Common symptoms of Stealth Omicron you - mint 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. 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. 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. 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 is routine for any new variants under investigation, UKHSAis carrying out laboratory and epidemiological investigations to better understand the properties of this variant. Latest updates on SARS-CoV-2 variants detected in the UK. Immunogenicity and Reactogenicity of the Beta-variant Recombinant Anewrisk assessment for OmicronVOC-21NOV-01 (B.1.1.529)has also been published and is available here. What Is BA.2, the 'Stealth Omicron' Variant - Stealth Omicron Symptoms Approximately half of PCR tests in the UK are able to detect SGTF. It is therefore vital that people continue to exercise caution in order to limit the transmission of the virus. UKHSA will continue to designate new variants, and these will receive a variant number (in the format V-date-number). A runny nose, gastrointestinal. Omicron BA2 symptoms include taste loss. 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. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? UKHSA is constantly monitoring the situation and working to understand the implications for public health. What are the symptoms of BA.2? The Omicron Variant of COVID-19 - WebMD Studies of contacts show that Omicron is transmitting more effectively than Delta. Consider wearing a face covering when in crowded places. Updated analysisshows theadditional incremental benefit from each vaccine exposureincluding for boosters, even in those who have had prior infection. There is still uncertainty around the significance of the changes to the viral genome, and further analyses will now be undertaken. However, a small change may be enough to cause a difference in the virus properties in some circumstances. The earliest of these has a specimen date of 19 January 2022. While BA.2 appears to be more transmissible than previous variants, there is no data yet to suggest that it is any more severe. 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. The symptoms of omicron BA.2.75 are mostly flu-like and may last more than 4-5 days. There are also hybrid strains, such as XE, which is a combination of BA.1 and BA.2 By Alex Finnis 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. However, vaccinated people are still less likely to get infected than unvaccinated individuals, and they are also less likely to pass it on. These changes will take effect as of 1 April 2022 and will be reflected in full in future technical briefings. Based on the reports from doctors treating the Covid variant and patients battling. Surefire Signs Omicron is in Your Body Eat This Not That BA.2 attacking abdomen instead of lungs. BA.2 omicron symptoms list as variant spreads in US - Fast Company Updated Jan. 27, 2023 The omicron subvariant of COVID-19, BA.5, became one of the dominant strains of the virus in the fall of 2022 in the U.S. At that time, it was the most easily spread strain to date and is able to evade immunity from COVID infection and vaccination. We have now identified cases in the East Midlands, East of England, London and North West. Covid: Rise in UK infections driven by BA.2 Omicron variant 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. It remains vital that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets aPCRtest immediately. BA.2, a SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant, Explained - Health There will be a coprimary endpoint : Neutralizing antibody titers against the SARS-CoV-2 variant of most prominent public health interest according to pandemic evolution (among D614G, B.1.351, Omicron sub-variants BA.4-5, BQ1.1 and XBB or another recent variant) and against one of the variant targeted by the vaccines. There is currently insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about growth advantage or other properties of this variant. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published variant technical briefing 37. According to Boden-Albala said, those symptoms may include the following: Fever Chills Fatigue Cough Body aches Shortness of breath Sore throat Additionally, some people may report upper. Telltale symptoms for Deltacron, Omicron, and the BA.2 Covid variants 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. UKHSA is updating its variant classification system to give a clearer indication of which variants have significant changes compared to the current dominant variant. BA.2, also known as "stealth omicron," is considered a subvariant of omicron. 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. Headache. BA.2 has been under close . 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. This is consistent with analysis published yesterday by Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh. What Is Your Risk of Getting the Omicron BA.2 Subvariant? - Healthline That contrasts to Denmark, where it has become dominant. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. 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. 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. Evidence continues to show that Omicron is transmitting more rapidly than the dominant Delta variant. 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. 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. UKHSAis carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. New Omicron BA.2 variant symptoms - What we know so far - Yahoo Life UK 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. It is not unexpected to see new lineages and continued investigation is a normal part of the surveillance of an infectious disease. This matches a recent study led by Oxford University and the Office for National Statistics (ONS), using data from the COVID-19 Infection Survey produced by the latter. So far, vaccination means that the rise in cases is not translating to a rise in severe illness and deaths. We urge these people in particular to get up-to-date. 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.