UK designates Omicron sub-lineage a variant under investigation

The UK Health Security Agency on Friday designated a sub-lineage of the dominant and highly transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant as a variant under investigation, saying it could have a growth advantage. BA.2, which does not have the specific mutation seen with Omicron that can help to easily distinguish it from Delta, is being investigated but has not been designated a variant of concern. '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,' Dr Meera Chand, incident director at the UKHSA, said.