The Omicron variant BA.5 is now the dominant Covid strain in the UK, health officials have announced. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed the update on Friday, adding that the news was "as expected".
BA.5 was first identified in South Africa in February and the highly transmissive strain was designated a Variant of Concern by the UKHSA on May 18. It comes as the Office of National Statistics' (ONS) latest update reported that Scotland had the highest proportion of people infected with Covid in all four UK nations.
One in 15 people in Scotland had the virus in the week ending July 14, in comparison to one in 17 in England and Wales, with one in 20 in Northern Ireland. The ONS report marks a seven-week increase of cases in Scotland.
An estimated 340,900 people in Scotland had Covid from July 7 to 14 - equating to 6.48 percent of the population. The latest figures are a slight increase from one in 15 in the previous week.
BA.5 is currently the dominant strain in the US, where it is giving rise to a surge of cases alongside BA.4, another Omicron variant. BA.4 and BA.5 became dominant in South Africa in April.
Meanwhile, Omicron BA.2.75, the variant derived from BA.2 which was identified earlier this month, has been categorised as a separate variant and will be reported separately from other BA.2 cases, the UKHSA said.
As of July 18, there were 24 cases of BA.2.75 in the UK. Of these, 20 were in England, three in Scotland and one in Wales.
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.
"It is not unexpected to see new lineages and continued investigation is a normal part of the surveillance of an infectious disease.
"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."
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