SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant
Omicron (B.1.1.529) is a variant of SARS-CoV-2 first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa on 24 November 2021. It was first detected in Botswana and has spread to become the predominant variant in circulation around the world. Following the original B.1.1.529 variant, several subvariants of Omicron have emerged including: BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, and BA.5. Since October 2022, two subvariants of BA.5 called BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 have emerged.
| Omicron | |
| General details | |
|---|---|
| WHO Designation | Omicron |
| Lineage | B.1.1.529 |
| First detected | South Africa |
| Date reported | 24 November 2021 |
| Status | Variant of concern |
| Symptoms | |
| Asymptomatic infection, body ache, cough, fainting, fatigue, fever, headache, loss of smell or taste, — less common nasal congestion or running nose night sweats, — unique Omicron symptom, upper respiratory tract infection skin rash, sneezing, sore throat | |
| Major variants | |
Three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine provide protection against severe disease and hospitalisation caused by Omicron and its subvariants. For three-dose vaccinated individuals, the BA.4 and BA.5 variants are more infectious than previous subvariants but there is no evidence of greater sickness or severity.