A CASE of a new Covid variant coined ‘stealth Omicron’ has been found in Basingstoke.

A single case of the variant was found among samples from the area tested by The Wellcome Sanger Institute in the week ending January 15.

Cases were also found in Rushmoor, Winchester and Portsmouth.

Some 426 cases of the BA.2 variant have been confirmed in the UK to date, with the earliest dated December 6.

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Accoring to the Evening Standard, the largest number of confirmed cases was in London, with 146 positive BA.2 infections followed by the south-east region with 97.

The variant has been nicknamed ‘stealth Omicron’ because it does not exhibit a tell-tale marker on its spike protein, revealed through a common type of PCR test, which the authorities had previously used to monitor the spread of Omicron.

But both PCR and lateral flow tests still identify Covid infection.

It is not known where the variant originated, with the first cases found in the Philippines and high numbers being reported in Denmark.

Dr Meera Chand, Covid-19 incident director at the 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.

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"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."

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 has discovered life-saving treatments for those most at risk from Covid-19."

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