More than 400 cases of a new sub-variant of Omicron have been found in England

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More than 400 cases of a new Omicron subvariant have been identified in England.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has described Omicron BA.2 as a “variant under investigation”.

So far, 426 infections have been confirmed in England.

Early analysis suggests that it may spread faster than Omicron, although scientists aren’t sure about this and it hasn’t been considered a “variable of concern.”

UKHSA said further analysis will be carried out in BA.2 to characterize it and better understand how the British pandemic will shape in the coming weeks.

It was not yet clear whether the sub-variant was causing more serious disease, said Dr Mira Chand, the NHS incident manager, adding that it was normal for viruses to mutate.

“It is expected that we will continue to see new variables emerge,” she said. “Our continuous genetic monitoring allows us to detect them and assess whether they are important.”

“To date, there is not enough evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more serious disease than Omicron BA.1, but data are limited and the UKHSA continues to investigate.”

The areas with the most confirmed cases are London, with 146, and the southeast, with 97. The earliest date is December 6.

It’s also not clear where the sub-variant first appeared, but the new strain has been reported in 40 countries, including Denmark, India, Sweden and Singapore, according to UKHSA.

In Denmark, the BA.2 level rose rapidly. It accounted for 20 percent of all Covid cases in the last week of 2021, and rose to 45 percent in the second week of 2022.

Preliminary analysis by the Danish Statens Serum Institute (SSI) showed no difference in hospitalization for Omicron BA.2 compared to the original Omicron strain, BA.1.

SSI researcher Anders Vomsgaard said he does not yet have a good explanation for the rapid growth of BA.2. He said he was puzzled, not anxious.

The reason may be that it is more immune-resistant in the population, allowing it to get more infections. “We don’t know yet,” he told local media.

He added that there is a possibility that people infected with BA.1 may not be immune to infection with BA.2 soon after.

“It’s a possibility,” he said. “In that case, we have to be prepared for that. And then, in fact, we might see two peaks of this epidemic.”

The UK Health Hull Services Agency (UKHSA) is investigating the strain. In a statement, she said: “As is usual for any new variants under investigation, the UKHSA is conducting laboratory and epidemiological investigations to better understand the characteristics of this variant.

We will continue to monitor this situation closely and recommend appropriate public health measures if necessary. More details will be available in the UKHSA’s regular changing technical briefings.”

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