Nicknamed the ‘stealth Omicron’ variant, BA.2 is a new Covid variant currently ‘under investigation’ from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
One step below a ‘variant of concern’ the UKHSA will keep this a ‘variant under investigation’ while they undertake further analysis.
‘It is the nature of viruses to evolve and mutate, so it’s to be expected that we will continue to see new variants emerge,’ said Dr Meera Chand, incident director at the UKHSA.
It is not clear if the new variant will impact Boris Johnson’s hopes to end all self-isolation rules by March 24 at the latest, as England looks set to remove all Plan B restrictions this Thursday (January 27).
Here’s what we know about the new Omicron variant so far…
What is the BA.2 variant?
BA.2 is a sub-lineage of the original Omicron – BA.1 – but appears to have certain differences that may make it both faster at spreading and harder to detect.
BA.2 shows positive for the S-gene (the largest of the four major structural proteins found in coronaviruses, sometimes called the spike gene) while BA.1 does not. The fact BA.1 lacked the S-gene was key to detecting and tracking the spread of Omicron early on, as it distinguished it from Delta.
It’s not clear where BA.2 emerged from, though the first cases were recorded in the Philippines.
Tom Peacock, a virologist from the Imperial College of London said there may be some evidence it is spreading faster – but more research is needed.
He tweeted: ‘BA.2 appears to be the major Omicron lineage in (part of) India and the Philippines and there is evidence it is growing compared to BA.1 in Denmark, the UK and Germany.
‘Consistent growth across multiple countries is evidence BA.2 may be some degree more transmissible than BA.1. This is the main reason BA.2 is currently in the news.’
What are the symptoms of the BA.2 variant?
Currently, no new symptoms have been identified.
As the new variant is a sub-lineage of Omicron, it can therefore be expected that similar Omicron symptoms could present.
These include:
- Fatigue
- Night sweats
- Scratchy throat
- Dry cough
- Mild muscle aches
In data published by the UKHSA on January 14, they found that NHS test and trace data revealed a loss of smell or taste was reported less often by Omicron cases than Delta cases (13% of Omicron cases, 34% of Delta cases.)
Why is it called the stealth Omicron variant?
BA.2 has many shared characteristics of the original Omicron – BA.1 – but the new variant gets its stealth nickname from one of its key differences.
Omicron was relatively easy to track because of a specific trait – the deletion of a spike gene. This made it stand out on PCR tests without the need for extra genome sequencing.
But the new BA.2 strain does not appear to have this, making it more difficult to monitor.
It means that while PCR tests will still spot if someone has this version of Covid, the samples would need to be sent for further lab analysis to determine if someone had BA.2.
How many BA.2 cases have been reported?
So far, 426 infections have been confirmed.
The largest number of confirmed cases are in London (146) and the south east (97), the UKHSA have said.
Elsewhere around the world, countries that have recorded more than 100 cases of BA.2 are India (530), Sweden (181), and Singapore (127).
MORE : How long is the Omicron incubation period?
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