UK authorities investigate omicron subvariant

health authorities of the United Kingdom announced that they are investigating a version of the omicron variant based on an increase in the number of cases, but that it is too early to assess its importance or seriousness.

“The nature of viruses is to evolve and mutate, so it is to be expected that we will continue to see new variants emerge, as the pandemic progresses,” Meera Chand, director of incidents, said on Friday. COVID-19 in the United Kingdom Health Security Agency, through a statement. “Our ongoing genomic surveillance allows us to detect them and assess whether they are significant.”

Data on the omicron subvariant, known as BA.2, is limited and the number of cases is low, according to the agency. There is not enough evidence to determine if it causes more serious disease, and it is not possible to determine where it originated. The agency said 426 cases have been confirmed in England, the first dated December 6.

The UK currently designates it as a “variant under investigation”, rather than one of concern.

Omicron has spread rapidly around the world, but seems less likely to cause hospitalizations and deaths than its predecessors, such as the delta variant. While that raises hopes for a tipping point in some countries two years into the pandemic, health experts warn emerging variants continue to pose a risk and the global crisis is not over.