ba 2 variant omicron symptoms ba 2 variant omicron symptoms

They say its possible that the virus has now changed its pattern and is affecting the stomach. 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. It contains epidemiological data and updated analysis of COVID-19 variants currently circulating in the UK. 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. People suffering From the Omicron BA2 variant said they had fever and body Aches. 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. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published the latest variant technical briefing. 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. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? However, the preliminary data showed effectiveness against the new variant appears to increase considerably in the early period after a booster dose, providing around 70% to 75% protection against symptomatic infection. 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. While signs remain encouraging on Omicrons severity compared with Delta, the high levels of community transmission continue and may cause pressures on health services. Face coverings in crowded indoor spaces and hand washing will help to reduce transmission of infection and are especially important if you have any respiratory symptoms. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 99% of viral DNA submitted to the global GISAID database as of 25 January were identified as this sub-variant. This paper can be found as a pre-print, and the data is referred to in the latest vaccine surveillance report. We continue to monitor all recombinants closely, routinely through our world-leading genomic surveillance and sequencing capability. 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. The pace of sharing sequences by India is very slow, median days from collection to deposition is 69 days according to GISAID. A total 637 cases of XE a recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 have been confirmed in the UK so far. 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 urge these people in particular to get up-to-date. We should all continue to test regularly with LFDs [lateral flow devices] and take a PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test if symptoms develop.". 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. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. In its early days, the variant caused an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases in South Africathey went from 300 a day in mid-November 2021 to 3,000 a day at the end of that month. The areas with the largest number of confirmed cases are London (146) and the South East (97). UKHSA has also released a variant risk assessment for Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, summarising the emerging epidemiology and laboratory evidence. 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. Take a vaccine to protect yourself against COVID-19. And in England, more than 1,000 confirmed cases of BA.2 have been identified, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). 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. Since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified two subvariants, BA.1.1 and BA.2. 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. UKHSA is 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. There is currently insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about growth advantage or other properties of this variant. 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. 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. Working from home where possible, consistently wearing masks in crowded or enclosed spaces, washing your hands regularly and isolating and getting tested if you feel unwell are also vitally important in reducing the impact of COVID-19 this winter. Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities. Omicron has a deletion atposition69/70of the spike proteinwhich allows it to be tracked through S gene target failure(SGTF)in some PCR tests. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) against Omicron has again been updated in this weeks briefing. 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. Hospital cases are also rising, but vaccines are still helping to stop many severe. Studies of contacts show that Omicron is transmitting more effectively than Delta. 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. Omicron BA.4 and Omicron BA.5 were designated as variants of concern on 18 May on the basis of an apparent growth advantage over the previously-dominant Omicron BA.2 variant. 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. An estimated 78.7% of confirmed cases in England are BA.5 which was first identified in April and was designated as a Variant of Concern on 18 May. However, some experts believe that BA.2 doesn't present symptoms different from the original Omicron. 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 . 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. The sub-variant of Omicron has been detected in 57 countries now, the WHO says. The public health advice is the same for all current variants. 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. This analysis is preliminary and highly uncertain because of the small numbers of Omicron cases currently in hospital, inability to effectively measure all previous infections and the limited spread of Omicron into older age groups. 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. 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. It includes a complete list of studies planned and already under way into the emerging variant. UKHSAis carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. Neither have been designated as variants of concern by UKHSA. Since BA.2 is a sub-strain of the Omicron variant, it is expected that its symptoms will be similar. Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against becoming severely ill from this new variant please get your first, second, third or booster jab without delay. 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. What are the most common symptoms of Omicron BA.2? March 31, 2022. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said: The latest set of analysis is in keeping with the encouraging signs we have already seen. Everyone over 18 is now able to walk into a vaccine centre, so do not hesitate to get yours. 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. 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. Trends in SGTF over and time are however affected by the coverage of laboratories contributing to this surveillance data. 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. 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. Work is underway to identify any links to travel to Southern Africa. However, increases in SGTF can give a useful early indication of variant spread. People aged 75 and over remain at particular risk of severe disease if they are not up to date with their vaccinations. 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%). BA.2 is believed to be far more contagious than the earlier Omicron strain, and was blamed for a fresh surge in Denmark. 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. 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. Where individuals are identified as being a possible or probable case of Omicron, their close contacts will be contacted and advised they are required to isolate for 10 days, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or received a negative COVID-19 test result. Both are variants in the Omicron family. There are also hybrid strains, such as XE, which is a combination of BA.1 and BA.2 By Alex Finnis Those aged 18 to 39 should wait to be called. . There were very limited numbers of BA.2 in this study and no inferences can be made regarding BA.2. 2023 BBC. 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. Added breakdown of cases by local authority to latest update. 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. Any variants showing evidence of spread are rapidly assessed. Teams nationally and locally are working at pace to identify and trace all close contacts of every Omicron case. There is currently no evidence of community transmission within the UK. 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. 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. Congestion. AstraZeneca was the main vaccine used early in the programme in care homes and among those in clinical risk groups. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious. 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 now high confidence that the Omicron variant causes low severity of disease in adults. 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.