More than 400 cases of a new Omicron sub-variant, dubbed a 'variant under investigation', have been detected in England.
Health chiefs say 426 Omicron BA.2 infections have been confirmed by Whole Genome Sequencing, beginning with a case back on December 6.
Authorities have warned the new strain could spread faster than the original BA.1 Omicron strain, but are stressing that it is too early to be certain about that yet, The Mirror reports.
So far London there have been 146 confirmed cases in London - the most in the country. The South East has recorded 97 cases.
Though the first sequences of the virus were submitted by Singapore, experts are currently unaware of where the new strain originated from.
So far 40 countries have recorded a total of 8,040 BA.2 sequences since mid-November.
Denmark has posted by far the largest number of Omicron BA.2 cases, with a total of 6,411.
Other countries that have uploaded more than 100 samples are India (530), Sweden (181), and Singapore (127).
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says the emergence of new mutations is not unexpected.
Dr Meera Chand, COVID-19 Incident Director at UKHSA, said: “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 as the pandemic goes on.
"Our continued genomic surveillance allows us to detect them and assess whether they are significant.
"So far there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than Omicron BA.1, but data is limited and UKHSA continues to investigate.
“Case rates remain high throughout the UK and we must remain vigilant and take up vaccinations. We should all continue to test regularly with LFDs and take a PCR test if symptoms develop."
Experts are continuing to carry out analysis on this latest strain.
In a statement, the UKHSA said: "As is routine for any new variants under investigation, UKHSA is carrying out 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 needed.
"More detail will be available in UKHSA’s regular Variant Technical Briefings."
The latest UK data on Covid-19 confirmed a further 95,787 cases on the afternoon of Friday, January 21.
The Department of Health said 288 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the official UK death toll to 153,490.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “We are learning to live with this virus - and thanks to our world-leading surveillance system we can rapidly detect and carefully monitor any genetic changes to COVID-19.
“Our exceptional vaccine rollout means the number of people severely affected by COVID-19 is low, and the UK’s innovation and research have discovered life-saving treatments for those most at-risk from COVID-19.
“As we cautiously return to Plan A, I encourage you to give yourself and your loved ones the best protection possible and Get Boosted Now.”
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