Almost four out of five people with Covid-19 have the Omicron BA.5 variant. The strain is now the dominant variant of coronavirus in the UK, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
In a statement it said BA.5 was first identified in April this year. It was designated a variant of concern on May 18. A total of 79% of confirmed Covid-19 cases in England are believed to be BA.5, the UKHSA added.
It is the latest in a run of variants to become the dominant form of Covid-19 in the country, which began with Alpha in winter 2020/21, followed by Delta in summer 2021, Omicron in winter 2021/22 and most recently Omicron BA.2 in spring 2022. A new variant, BA.2.75, has recently been categorised, but currently only accounts for "small numbers" of cases in the UK.
