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. 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. Neither have currently been designated as variants of concern. It is the best defence we have against this highly transmissible new variant. 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. It has been designated a "variant under investigation" by British health authorities, meaning they are keeping a close watch on it, but are not overly concerned by it. Dr Meera Chand, COVID-19 Incident Director at UKHSA, said: It is the nature of viruses to evolve and mutate, so its to be expected that we will continue to see new variants emerge as the pandemic goes on. 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. 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. 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. Since BA.2 is a sub-strain of the Omicron variant, it is expected that its symptoms will be similar. UKHSA encourage everyone to continue to follow the most up-to date guidance. 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. The latest number of COVID-19 cases with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in England are published on UKHSAs social media channels. This data shows that protection against severe illness from COVID-19 remains at over 90% in those aged 65 and over up to 14 weeks after a booster dose. Stealth BA.2 Omicron Variant Can Reinfect People Who Had BA - Newsweek UKHSAs new analysis examines 3 recombinants, known as XF, XE, and XD. Thats why its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. Our exceptional vaccine rollout means the number of people severely affected by COVID-19 is low, and the UKs innovation and research has discovered life-saving treatments for those most at risk from COVID-19. They are our best defence and we have turbocharged our rollout programme inviting 7 million more people over the age of 40 to get their booster jab so even more people get protection from this disease. It is vital that everyone over the age of 40 who is eligible for a booster jab comes forward as soon as possible to get increased protection against this new variant. New Omicron BA.2 variant symptoms - What we know so far - Yahoo Life UK Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against this new variant please get your first, second or booster jab without delay. The sub-variant of Omicron has been detected in 57 countries now, the WHO says. Overall, the original Omicron lineage, BA.1, is dominant in the UK and the proportion of BA.2 cases is currently low. Data continues to show COVID-19 poses a very low health risk to children and infants. Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against this new variant so please get your first, second, third or booster jab as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. For the first time, this data includes analysis on vaccine effectiveness 15+ weeks after the booster dose. We should all continue to test regularly with LFDs and take a PCR test if symptoms develop. The public health advice is the same for all current variants. Thats why its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets aPCRtest immediately. According to the COVID Symptom Study, the five most common symptoms are the same: Runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and sore throat. 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. Of 5,153 individuals identified with an Omicron infection between 1 November and 11 December 2021, 305 were linked to a previous confirmed infection and had an interval from the previous positive test of 90 days or more. Lower back pain. So, like the original omicron strain (BA.1), the primary symptoms of a mild BA.2 infection are a cough, fever, fatigue and possible loss of taste or smell. 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. Omicron BA.2 Variant Severity Our data shows that getting the booster vaccine is more effective against this variant than 2 doses alone. As set out last week, the effectiveness of all vaccines against symptomatic infection continues to be lower in all periods against Omicron compared to Delta. 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. What Are the Symptoms of Omicron BA.5? - Verywell Health Early data shows that young children who are hospitalised experience mild illness and are discharged after short stays in hospital. The Delta variant, for example, comprises 200 different sub-variants. Scratchy throat. Studies have already shown that this virus travels to different parts of the body, therefore gut-related issues are. 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. Latest updates on SARS-CoV-2 variants detected in the UK. The proportion of test results displaying SGTF has been very low in recent months but an increase has been observed in the past week. Teams nationally and locally are working at pace to identify and trace all close contacts of every Omicron case. The five key Omicron symptoms. You have rejected additional cookies. The latest Omicron SARS-CoV-2 subvariant, which scientists have labeled BA.2.12.1, is on track to become the most virulent strain in the United States currently. Its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. 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. 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. People aged 75 and over remain at particular risk of severe disease if they are not up to date with their vaccinations. Please wear face coverings in line with government guidance, let in fresh air when mixing indoors and wash your hands regularly. 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.. Surefire Signs Omicron is in Your Body Eat This Not That In total, 40 countries have uploaded 8,040 BA.2 sequences to GISAID since 17 November 2021. A major ailment is not to be expected for the age group 20-50 years. Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights: Infections Thanks to very high levels of vaccine coverage we already have a robust wall of defence against COVID-19 as new variants emerge. This paper can be found as a pre-print, and the data is referred to in the latest vaccine surveillance report. A growth rate potentially compatible with the eventual replacement of the current dominant variant. 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. There are differences in the populations that have received different vaccines. Further information is also available in the latest variant technical briefing. So far, there have been 717 V-22OCT-01 sequences uploaded from the UK to the international GISAID database. Our continued genomic surveillance allows us to further investigate variants that are growing within the UK. The designation was made on the basis of increasing numbers of BA.2 sequences identified both domestically and internationally. India is another country where BA.2 is rapidly replacing the Delta and Omicron BA.1 variant, according to molecular biologist Bijaya Dhakal. Approximately half of PCR tests in the UK are able to detect SGTF. If you develop any symptoms, isolate immediately and get a PCR test. It was designated a variant of concern (VOC) on Saturday 27 November. The five most common symptoms of Omicron are: runny nose;. Whilst the impact of these variants is uncertain, the variant classification system aims to identify potential risk as early as possible. We will continue to closely analyse all available biological, epidemiological and genomic evidence for any SARS-CoV-2 variant in the UK or internationally. BA.2 omicron symptoms list as variant spreads in US - Fast Company There is evidence that protection against symptomatic disease wanes after the second dose of vaccine, and then improves after the booster. Headache. 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. This analysis excludes individuals with confirmed previous COVID-19 infection. A total 637 cases of XE a recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 have been confirmed in the UK so far. New sub-lineages within Delta continue to be identified. The study also showed evidence to suggest that the BA.2 sub-variant is better able to evade vaccines. 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. The World Health Organization has been monitoring SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) since January 2020, during which time the variant Omicron has been identified, which is technically known as BA.1 or B.1.1.529.The WHO is now monitoring a sub-variant of Omicron, known as BA.2, which has been described as "stealth Omicron," because it has genetic mutations that potentially make it . 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. Under the new system, the variant of concern (VOC) label will be assigned to variants which are currently emerging or circulating, and which the following characteristics can be confirmed or predicted: 1. Thats why its so important that everybody, everywhere, takes simple steps to protect themselves from infection. Vaccine effectiveness against severe disease from Omicron is not yet known but is expected to be significantly higher than protection against symptomatic disease. One case is located in Camden, London, and one case is located in Wandsworth, London. For example, there are still a small number of cases of other variants, such as Alpha, in the UK which would also result in S-gene dropout or there is a lower amount of virus present in the sample where S-gene dropout cannot be confirmed. BA.2.2 variant symptoms: What are the new COVID symptoms? - Deseret News The B.1.1.529variant includes a large number of spike protein mutations as well as mutations in other parts of the viral genome. Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. It contains updated analysis on Omicron hospitalisation risk, vaccine efficacy against symptomatic disease from Omicron, and the COVID-19 reinfection rate. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and recommend appropriate public health measures if needed. 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 . News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. 2. UKHSAis carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. What Is BA.2, the 'Stealth Omicron' Variant - Stealth Omicron Symptoms 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. As of 30 November 2021, there are 22 confirmed cases of Omicron (B.1.1.529), identified through sequencing or genotyping in England. There is no data to suggest that BA.2 leads to more severe disease than previous Omicron sub-variants. 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. There are thought to be subtle differences in the symptoms that BA. As we learn to live safely with COVID-19, there are actions we can all take to help reduce the risk of catching COVID-19 and passing it on to others. Omicron BA.2 COVID Variant Symptoms Explained As New U.S - Newsweek
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