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New Covid strain spreading across the UK that's less likely to cause symptoms.
A new strain of Covid-19 which may cause less symptomatic cases is spreading across the UK.
The Delta variant strain AY.4.2 is said to be a more infectious strain and accounted for around 12% of samples gathered in a recent Government study, which ran up to November 5.
Cases of the sub-variant are spreading quickly across the UK, growing at 2.8% a day.
It is thought to be 10 to 15% more infectious than other Delta variants, paving the way for it to become the dominant strain in the UK in several months.
On a more positive note, early research suggests that it may be less likely to cause symptomatic cases than previous iterations.
Symptoms such as loss or change of smell or taste, a fever, or a new persistent cough appeared in a third of AY.4.2 cases, while the number stands at 46.3% of AY.4 original Delta strain cases.
The new sub-variant also doesn't seem to make vaccines any less effective.
Christl Donnelly, professor of statistical epidemiology at Imperial College London, believes the new strain is more infectious than the common Delta variant.
Professor Paul Elliott of Imperial told The i: “We’re not sure why AY.4.2 might be associated with less symptomatic infection, but that might give it a transmission advantage as people carrying AY.4.2. are less likely to know that (as more of them will be asymptomatic)."
Professor Moritz Gerstung, a virologist at the University of Heidelberg, said genomic sequencing had now identified a further offshoot of AY.4.2 – called AY.4.2.1.
It accounts for between 1 and 4% of coronavirus -1>coronavirus samples in England, and may be 1% more infectious than AY.4.2.
It also does not appear to be able to escape the vaccines.
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/uk-news/new-covid-strain-symptoms-coronavirus-22233410
A new strain of Covid-19 which may cause less symptomatic cases is spreading across the UK.
The Delta variant strain AY.4.2 is said to be a more infectious strain and accounted for around 12% of samples gathered in a recent Government study, which ran up to November 5.
Cases of the sub-variant are spreading quickly across the UK, growing at 2.8% a day.
It is thought to be 10 to 15% more infectious than other Delta variants, paving the way for it to become the dominant strain in the UK in several months.
On a more positive note, early research suggests that it may be less likely to cause symptomatic cases than previous iterations.
Symptoms such as loss or change of smell or taste, a fever, or a new persistent cough appeared in a third of AY.4.2 cases, while the number stands at 46.3% of AY.4 original Delta strain cases.
The new sub-variant also doesn't seem to make vaccines any less effective.
Christl Donnelly, professor of statistical epidemiology at Imperial College London, believes the new strain is more infectious than the common Delta variant.
Professor Paul Elliott of Imperial told The i: “We’re not sure why AY.4.2 might be associated with less symptomatic infection, but that might give it a transmission advantage as people carrying AY.4.2. are less likely to know that (as more of them will be asymptomatic)."
Professor Moritz Gerstung, a virologist at the University of Heidelberg, said genomic sequencing had now identified a further offshoot of AY.4.2 – called AY.4.2.1.
It accounts for between 1 and 4% of coronavirus -1>coronavirus samples in England, and may be 1% more infectious than AY.4.2.
It also does not appear to be able to escape the vaccines.
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/uk-news/new-covid-strain-symptoms-coronavirus-22233410
