There's a new covid-19 sub-variant on the loose, experts have warned, as positive cases rise once again among the elderly.
The new strain has gained the colloquial name "stealth omicron" as it is more difficult to differentiate from past variants than omicron itself was. This strain, officially named the BA.2 variant, is very closely related to the first omicron strain, BA.1, but lacks a telltale genetic sign that made omicron easy to differentiate from past variants such as beta and delta.
Coronavirus cases are substantially lower now than they were during their peak in January, but cases among the over-55s are slowly beginning to increase again. Researchers say this could be due to numerous factors, including more mixing between the age groups since restrictions eased and the waning of the protection offered from vaccines.
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Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “These data confirm that cases have declined substantially following the peak of the omicron wave.
“However, the increasing presence of the BA.2 sub-lineage of omicron and the recent slight increase in infections in those over 55 show that the pandemic is not over and that we can expect to see covid circulating at high levels.
“Vaccination remains the best way to protect us all from severe disease and hospitalisation due to covid-19 infection. We urge you to come forward for your primary or booster doses straight away if you have not already done so.”
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Professor Paul Elliott, director of Imperial College London’s React programme, said the data needs to be tracked carefully. He did confirm, however, that stealth omicron "is more transmissible".
He added: “We are seeing an uptick in infections, particularly in the older group, and we are seeing an uptick in hospitalisations. So I think ... we really need to be monitoring closely the infection data through surveys, such as React, and we need to monitor the hospitalisations.
“At the moment, we’re possibly seeing the beginning of an uptick, but we don’t know where it’s going to go.”
Is stealth omicron (BA.2) more transmissible?
It seems that stealth omicron is indeed more transmissible than regular omicron. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), formerly Public Health England, "BA.2 has demonstrated an increased growth rate compared to BA.1 in all regions of England."
Early analysis from the Statens Serum Institute in Denmark, where stealth omicron is already the dominant variant, suggests the new variant is around 1.5 times more infectious than regular omicron.
Can stealth omicron evade the vaccines?
No more so than omicron could. UKHSA has found "no evidence of reduced vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease with BA.2 compared to BA.1".
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Is stealth omicron (BA.2) more dangerous?
So far, it doesn't appear as if stealth omicron is any more lethal than omicron. UKHSA has said "preliminary analysis finds no evidence of a greater risk of hospitalisation following infection with BA.2 compared to BA.1".
How prevalent is it?
Between February 13 and February 20, the most recent period for which data have been published, 69 per cent of covid-19 cases in the UK were the original BA.1 omicron strain, while 30 per cent were the new BA.2 stealth omicron strain. Less than one per cent were other variants.
Stealth omicron symptoms
As far as we're aware, the symptoms for stealth omicron are the same as for omicron and previous variants. Officially, the NHS still lists the main symptoms of all covid-19 variants as:
- High temperature
- New, continuous cough
- Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
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