Scientists have recently reported finding a new version of the Omicron coronavirus variant that is more difficult to identify using standard PCR coronavirus testing, leading experts to fear it may be spreading less noticeably around the world.
The Guardian is reporting that the finding came as the number of cases of the original Omicron variant detected in the UK rose by 101 to 437 in a single day and Scotland announced a return to working from home.
Although the “stealth version” of the Omicron variant has many mutations in common with the Omicron variant, it can still be detected as Omicron through genomic testing, However, it lacks a particular genetic change that allows lab-based PCR tests to be used as a ready means of flagging probable cases in order to track its spread.
Scientists say it is still too early to know whether the new form of Omicron will spread in the same way as the standard Omicron variant, but because it is genetically distinct, it may behave differently.
The new version of Omicron has been identified in South Africa, Australia, and Canada and there is concern that it has spread to other locations, reports the International Business Times.
Researchers have also suggested that the new variant of Omicron could qualify as its own “variant of concern” if it spreads rapidly, which could create a dangerous situation as two variants spread globally at the same time.
The discovery of the new form of Omicron prompted researchers to split the B.1.1.529 lineage into standard Omicron, known as BA.1, and the newer variant, known as BA.2.
“There are two lineages within Omicron, BA.1 and BA.2, that are quite differentiated genetically,” Prof Francois Balloux, the director of the University College London Genetics Institute, said. “The two lineages may behave differently.”
There is one major unknown surrounding the finding of the new version of Omicron, though. While the new version may fall under the description of an Omicron variant, it is still genetically different, in its own right, and may qualify as a new “variant of concern” if it spreads rapidly.
And having two variants, BA.1 and BA.2, arise in quick succession with shared mutations is “worrying” according to one researcher, and suggests public health surveillance “is missing a big piece of the puzzle.”
