British health authorities have identified hundreds of cases of the latest version of the Omicron variant, known as BA.2, amid concerns about its transmissibility. Due to the increasing number of domestic and foreign BA.2 sequences, the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) has designated the Omicron variant sublineage as a variant under investigation.

To date, 426 cases of Omicron BA.2 have been confirmed in the UK by whole genome sequencing (WGS), with the earliest case reported on 6 December 2021. Of these, 146 were confirmed BA-2 cases. The largest number of Omicron sub-variants reported in London is the UK, followed by the South East (97).

While uncertainty remains about the significance of the viral genome changes, earlier analysis by UKHSA showed an increase in growth rates compared to the original Omicron lineage BA.1.

“[H] However, in the early stages of variation, the certainty of growth rates is lower and requires further analysis,” the health agency added.

A total of 40 countries have reported 8,040 Omicron sublineage sequences to GISAID, the leading source for open-access influenza and coronavirus genome data. The first sequences were submitted from the Philippines. To date, most samples for BA-.2 have been uploaded from Denmark, with a total of 6,411 sequences. India reported 530 samples of Omicron subvariants, followed by Sweden with 181 and Singapore with 127. Is it more toxic?

UKHSA’s Director of Covid-19 Events Dr Meera Chand said the nature of viruses was to evolve and mutate, so new variants were expected as the pandemic continued.

“To date, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe disease than Omicron BA.1, but data are limited and UKHSA is continuing to investigate,” Chand said.

French epidemiologist Antoine Flahault expressed surprise at the rapid spread of the Omicron sub-variant in Denmark, according to AFP.

“(France) expected a spike in pollution in mid-January: it didn’t happen, maybe because of this sub-variant, which seems to spread easily, but is no more virulent than BA.1,” he said, stressing that countries As scientists step up monitoring, it is imperative to remain vigilant about the latest developments.

Citing early observations in India and Denmark, virologist Tom Peacock of Imperial College London said there was no significant difference in severity compared with BA.1.

In a series of tweets, he stressed that “we don’t have a strong control at this time…how much transmission capacity BA.2 might have over BA.1. However, we can make some guesses/early observations.”

The latest variant should not question the effectiveness of existing vaccines, he added.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times