Health & Lifestyle

‘Real deal’ Covid variant is now in Britain: Patient is hospitalised in London with heavily-mutated BA.X strain – and experts think they caught it IN the UK

A new Covid variant dubbed the ‘real deal’ is already in the UK, health officials confirmed today.

One case of the Omicron spin off — given the placeholder name BA.X, or BA.2.86 — has been detected in London. 

Health experts also believe the patient had been infected with the ‘heavily mutated’ strain locally. 

It comes less than a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed it was officially tracking the variant. 

The strain is now classified as a ‘currently circulating variant under monitoring’ by the UN health agency.

One case of the Omicron spin off — given the placeholder name as BA.X but yet to be officially designated — has reportedly been confirmed in London

One case of the Omicron spin off — given the placeholder name as BA.X but yet to be officially designated — has reportedly been confirmed in London

Dr Duncan Robertson, a senior policy and strategy analytics academic at Loughborough University also tweeted: 'BA.2.86 has been found in England.' The independent SAGE member added: 'Severity and transmission important, and UKHSA will be working very hard to determine this. 'Dependent on this, it may be wise to review vaccination eligibility'

Dr Duncan Robertson, a senior policy and strategy analytics academic at Loughborough University also tweeted: ‘BA.2.86 has been found in England.’ The independent SAGE member added: ‘Severity and transmission important, and UKHSA will be working very hard to determine this. ‘Dependent on this, it may be wise to review vaccination eligibility’

Alarm bells over the strain were first rung earlier this week, after a prominent online virus-tracker spotted cases initially crop up in Denmark. 

The discovery came just a day after the same lineage was detected in Israel.

Yesterday variant trackers online also suggested a fourth case had been spotted in Michigan, meaning the strain has now been detected in three separate continents. 

Some scientists have already called for the return of face masks because of the spin-off variant.

Others, however, have warned it is far too early to panic and stressed that lockdown-era restrictions won’t be needed. 

Dr Meera Chand, deputy director of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) told MailOnline: “We are aware that BA.2.86 has been detected in the UK. 

‘UKHSA is assessing the situation and will provide further information in due course.”

Dr Luke Blagdon Snell, a physician specialising in infectious diseases and microbiology, in a tweet also claimed a patient had reportedly been hospitalised at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital in London with the ‘highly mutated’ strain. 

Samples of the variant have been sent to School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences at King’s College London, he added. 

The infection had been acquired ‘locally’ he said and later added there was no ‘immediately obvious’ connection between the cases reported in Denmark, Israel and the US. 

Dr Duncan Robertson, a senior policy  and strategy analytics academic at Loughborough University also tweeted: ‘BA.2.86 has been found in England.’

The independent SAGE member added: ‘Severity and transmission important, and UKHSA will be working very hard to determine this. 

‘Dependent on this, it may be wise to review vaccination eligibility.’

A process called ‘sequencing’ allows scientists to find the exact genetic make-up of every virus sample.

Early tests show BA.X carries more than 30 mutations in its spike protein, the part of the virus that latches onto human cells and causes an infection.

This is the same piece of the virus that vaccines are designed to target.

Several have unknown functions but others are thought to help the virus evade the immune system. 

Yesterday, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and lead for the Covid response at the WHO, cautioned there is very limited information available on the strain.

But she said it needs monitoring due to its large number of mutations.

Surveillance and sequencing is ‘critical’ to detect new variants and track known ones, she added. 

Confirmation of the first UK case also comes amid a surge in cases of the virus.

Covid hospitalisation rates are already starting to shoot up, sparking concern that the UK is on the brink of being hit by another wave. 

The increase in infections follows the arrival of another variant, nicknamed Eris. 

Covid hospital admissions jumped in the week to August 13. There were 3 virus hospitalisations per 100,000 people in England, up from 1.2 per 100,000 four weeks earlier (thick black line with dots)

Covid hospital admissions jumped in the week to August 13. There were 3 virus hospitalisations per 100,000 people in England, up from 1.2 per 100,000 four weeks earlier (thick black line with dots)

Admission rates jumped in all age groups apart from 15 to 24-year-olds. Levels were highest among the over-85s (32.6 per 100,000) and 75 to 84-year-olds (15.7 per 100,000)

Admission rates jumped in all age groups apart from 15 to 24-year-olds. Levels were highest among the over-85s (32.6 per 100,000) and 75 to 84-year-olds (15.7 per 100,000)

Scientists have already called for the return of face masks because of the spin-off strain — yet to be officially named but dubbed BA.X. Others, however, warned it is far too early to panic and argued that pandemic-era restrictions won't be needed. Covid hospitalisation rates are already starting to shoot up, sparking concern that the UK is on the brink of being hit by another wave

Scientists have already called for the return of face masks because of the spin-off strain — yet to be officially named but dubbed BA.X. Others, however, warned it is far too early to panic and argued that pandemic-era restrictions won’t be needed. Covid hospitalisation rates are already starting to shoot up, sparking concern that the UK is on the brink of being hit by another wave

Eris, scientifically known as EG.5.1, made up 25.7 per cent of all sequenced cases in England the week to July 30, health bosses confirmed yesterday.

UKHSA bosses noted that the prevalence was up from 14.6 per cent a fortnight earlier.

However, experts say it shows no sign of being more dangerous than other strains circulating, including its fellow ancestor Omicron. 

NHS hospital data shows daily Covid admissions in England have increased by a third in a week, rising from 171 on July 28, to 229 on August 4, the latest figures available. 

Hospitalizations had been freefalling nationally since March, from a peak of almost 1,200. 

The beginning of July however, saw these numbers begin an uptick, rising slightly. 

But, current admission levels are nowhere near levels seen earlier in the pandemic, when a high of 4,100 admissions were logged per day. 

And, as time has worn on, fewer and fewer hospital admissions are directly down to the virus. Instead, many patients are just coincidentally ill. 

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