ba 2 variant omicron symptoms
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. 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. New sub-lineages within Delta continue to be identified. The Omicron variant of Covid-19 includes the lineages BA.1, BA.2, BA.3 and B.1.1.529. 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. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified 2 further cases of COVID-19 with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in England, in addition to the previous 3 confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529 on 27 and 28 November. As part of UKHSAs routine genomic surveillance, approximately 15 to 20% of all positive PCR tests are also sent for sequencing. BQ.1 (V-22OCT-01) is a BA.5 sub-lineage which has been designated on the basis of rapid growth. 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. However, cases of the variant continue to rise at an extraordinary rate already surpassing the record daily number in the pandemic. A separate UK study also found higher transmissibility for BA.2 compared to BA.1. XBB.1.5 remains at very low prevalence in the UK, so estimates of growth are highly uncertain. In addition, UKHSA has published data which shows the detection of cases exhibiting S-gene target failure (SGTF) in recent weeks across the country. Please also make sure to follow all Government guidance to reduce the spread of infection. Thats why its critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately. Dr Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said: Viruses mutate often and at random, and it is not unexpected that new variants will continue to arise as the pandemic goes on, particularly while the case rate remains high. None of the cases to date is known to have been hospitalised or died. Of symptomatic cases, loss of smell and taste was found to be more common in people who tested positive for Delta than those who had Omicron. 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 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. A NEW Covid-19 Omicron sub-variant is spreading across Ireland and is the most infectious strain yet. In some countries, BA.2 accounts for more than half of sequenced Omicron cases, it adds. 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. Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said: The latest set of analysis is in keeping with the encouraging signs we have already seen. In some places, growth in recorded cases of the sub-variant has been sharp. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published analyses of Omicron sub-lineage BA.2. UKHSA is updating its variant classification system to give a clearer indication of which variants have significant changes compared to the current dominant variant. Please make sure you follow all the available guidance. 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. For the first time, this data includes analysis on vaccine effectiveness 15+ weeks after the booster dose. We now know that BA.2 has an increased growth rate which can be seen in all regions in England. Dr Chand said: "So far, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than Omicron BA.1. 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. 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. A major ailment is not to be expected for the age group 20-50 years. Getty Images BA.2 was. The B.1.1.529variant includes a large number of spike protein mutations as well as mutations in other parts of the viral genome. UKHSA are continuing to monitor data on the BA.2 sub-lineage closely. 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. AstraZeneca was the main vaccine used early in the programme in care homes and among those in clinical risk groups. 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. As viruses mutate often and at random, it is not unusual for small numbers of cases to arise featuring new sets of mutations. 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 . Scratchy throat. 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. BA.2 omicron symptoms According to the CDC, the symptoms of Covid-19, including BA.2, are: Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body. The team at ZOE, a study that tracks symptoms . A further case has been identified in Scotland, bringing the total to 10. The latest version raising alarms is an emerging subvariant of Omicron called BA.2. UKHSA designated variant B.1.1.529 as a variant under investigation (VUI) on Thursday 25 November. Where variant information was available, the majority of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions from 24 November 2021 to 19 January 2022 had Delta infections. Technical Briefing 34 contains further analysis on symptom comparison on Omicron and Delta. This analysis excludes individuals with confirmed previous COVID-19 infection. While growth rates can be overestimated in early analyses of a new variant, the apparent growth advantage is currently substantial. BA.2 attacking abdomen instead of lungs. This new mutation dubbed BA.2.75 is concerning scientists because it appears to spread fast, bypassing the protection offered by COVID-19 vaccines and immunity from previous infection, the Associated Press reported Monday. None of these cases are known to have been hospitalised or died. To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. Infection rate corrected to one million infections a day. 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. The breakdown of cases by local authority is: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified 9 further cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in England, in addition to the previous 13 confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529. Data for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is not included in the UKHSA Technical Briefing. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. Neither BQ.1 nor XBB have been designated as variants of concern and UKHSA is monitoring the situation closely, as always. And in England, more than 1,000 confirmed cases of BA.2 have been identified, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Our data shows that getting the booster vaccine is more effective against this variant than 2 doses alone. However, UKHSA scientists say there is no room to be complacent. 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 is constantly monitoring the situation and working to understand the implications for public health. Further studies are underway in the UK and abroad. 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. 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. Anewrisk assessment for OmicronVOC-21NOV-01 (B.1.1.529)has also been published and is available here. The symptoms of omicron BA.2.75 are mostly flu-like and may last more than 4-5 days. Here is what we know about it. However, one must note, these are only early stage symptoms. The COVID Omicron sub-variant BA.2, informally dubbed the "Stealth Omicron" variant, is able to reinfect people who have already had Omicron, a new study suggests. Francois Balloux, Professor of Computational Systems Biology and director of the UCL Genetics Institute, said that BA.1 and BA.2 "can be considered as two epidemiologically largely equivalent sub-lineages of Omicron". They also say that Omicron symptoms are typically mild, and herd immunity is at . The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published the latest variant technical briefing. The most affected local authorities are West Northamptonshire, where there are 49 confirmed cases and 68 SGTF, and Manchester, where there are 7 confirmed cases and 61 SGTF. Fatigue. Those are pretty similar to what people experience with a cold or other seasonal viruses. The Delta variant, for example, comprises 200 different sub-variants. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. It is one for the scientists to watch, rather than for the public to be alarmed about at this stage. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) against Omicron has again been updated in this weeks briefing. We continue to monitor all recombinants closely, routinely through our world-leading genomic surveillance and sequencing capability. Those aged 18 to 39 should wait to be called. Overall numbers of ICU admissions have decreased over time, but where data was available admissions with Omicron have increased from 9% to more than 50% in the most recent week. A BA2 variant's symptoms are similar to those of Omicron. Download the data.xlsx. To date, there have been 426 cases of Omicron BA.2 confirmed by Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), with the earliest dated 6 December 2021. We have now identified cases in the East Midlands, East of England, London, North East, North West, South East, South West and West Midlands. This will include analysing live samples of the new variant in our laboratories to investigate properties such as response to current vaccines. 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. At this point it is not possible to determine where the sublineage may have originated. There were very limited numbers of BA.2 in this study and no inferences can be made regarding BA.2. Please take up this offer as soon as you are invited to protect yourself, your families and your communities. A further 3 cases have been identified in Scotland, bringing the total to 13. The most commonly-reported symptoms with the original Omicron variant were cough, fatigue, headache, congestion, and runny nose. 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. As is routine for any new variants under investigation, UKHSAis carrying out laboratory and epidemiological investigations to better understand the properties of this variant. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 22. BA.2 is found to be able to alarmingly reinfect patients originally infected by Omicron BA.1. The odds of reporting long COVID symptoms four to eight weeks after a first COVID-19 infection were 21.8% higher after an infection compatible with Omicron BA.2 than Omicron BA.1 among adults who were triple-vaccinated when infected; this was after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and time since last COVID-19 vaccination. That contrasts to Denmark, where it has become dominant. In total, 40 countries have uploaded 8,040 BA.2 sequences to GISAID since 17 November 2021. . Data and analysis will be released in due course through our regular surveillance reporting. 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. Well be undertaking further analysis to investigate the small rise in the number of children admitted to hospital but currently coronavirus (COVID-19) poses a very low health risk to children and infants. UKHSA is monitoring this closely. Dr Jenny Harries, UKHSA Chief Executive, said: Our latest analysis shows an encouraging early signal that people who contract the Omicron variant may be at a relatively lower risk of hospitalisation than those who contract other variants. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. The individuals that have tested positive and their contacts are all isolating. Following the first 2 confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529 on 27 November, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified one further case of COVID-19 with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in the UK. Once again, we urge everyone who is able to get a booster jab to come forward and do so. It contains epidemiological data and updated analysis of COVID-19 variants currently circulating in the UK. The individuals who have tested positive and their contacts have been asked to self-isolate. Studies of contacts show that Omicron is transmitting more effectively than Delta. Hospital cases are also rising, but vaccines are still helping to stop many severe. Apart from dizziness and fatigue, some other signs of BA.2 Omicron Variants include: Fever and body aches Loss of taste Nausea or Vomiting Abdominal pain Fever Extreme fatigue Coughing Sore throat Muscular fatigue Elevated heart rate Breathless in severe cases readmore End of Story 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. [92] Reactions [ edit] Vaccine producers [ edit] 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. Thanks to the expertise of scientists at UKHSA and partner organisations, were able to respond quickly to new variations of the virus. 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. However, some experts believe that BA.2 doesn't present symptoms different from the original Omicron. UKHSAs most recent variant technical briefing can be found on GOV.UK. Due to the early nature of the findings, all estimates are subject to significant uncertainty and are subject to change. UKHSA has also this week published further vaccine effectiveness data against hospitalisation following a booster dose. It is not unexpected to see new lineages and continued investigation is a normal part of the surveillance of an infectious disease. 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. 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. The worst symptom is a "throat on fire," said University of California, San Francisco's Dr. Peter Chin-Hong. BA.2 Omicron Subvariant Can Damage Your Lungs, Cause More Severe Disease Than You Can Expect: Study BA.2 Omicron Subvariant Can Damage Your Lungs, Cause More Severe Disease Than You Can. Work from home if you are able to, wear a mask indoors around other people, and ventilate indoor spaces well. Fourteen people are reported to have died within 28 days of an Omicron diagnosis, ranging in age from 52 to 96 years old. There is currently insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about growth advantage or other properties of this variant. A total 637 cases of XE a recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 have been confirmed in the UK so far. 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. And now, dizziness and fatigue are beginning to emerge as potential symptoms of the new sub-strain of Omicron, along with the original Covid symptoms. 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. Cases have been confirmed through whole genome sequencing in all 9 regions of England. A growth rate potentially compatible with the eventual replacement of the current dominant variant. UKHSA has performed an initial laboratory evaluation of the current lateral flow devices (LFDs) for COVID-19 in current use in the UK. 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. While BA.2 appears to be more transmissible than previous variants, there is no data yet to suggest that it is any more severe.