Guidance

SARS-CoV-2 variants of public health interest: 11 January 2023

Updated 21 April 2023

Position as of 9 January 2023.

Horizon scan

Lineage and signals growth rates scan 9 January 2023
International mutation scan 9 January 2023
Domestic mutation scan 9 January 2023
Signals investigated from 22 November 2022 to 9 January 2023 4
New genomes 22 November 2022 to 9 January 2023 35,482

Note: Signals of individual mutations and new clusters are excluded until defined variant is identified.

SARS-CoV-2 variants of public health interest: variants detected in the UK

UKHSA designated variants of concern

Omicron (VOC-21NOV-01/B.1.1.529/BA.1, and all sub-lineages unless separately designated by UKHSA)
Omicron (VOC-22JAN-01/B.1.1.529/BA.2 and all sub-lineages unless separately designated by UKHSA)
Omicron (B.1.1.529) sub-lineage BA.5 (VOC-22APR-04)
Omicron (B.1.1.529) sub-lineage BA.4 (VOC-22APR-03)

UKHSA designated variants

Delta (B.1.617.2 and sublineages, V-21APR-02)
Omicron BA.2.75 (V-22JUL-01)
Omicron BA.4.6 (V-22SEP-01)
Omicron BQ.1 (V-22OCT-01)
Omicron XBB recombinant (BJ.1 x BM.1.1.1, V-22OCT-02)
Omicron CH.1.1 (V-22DEC-01)
Omicron XBB.1.5 recombinant (XBB + additional mutations, V-23JAN-01)

Signals currently under monitoring and investigation

Delta and Omicron recombinant XBC
BQ.1.1
BN.1 (BA.2.75.5.1.)

SARS-CoV-2 variants of public health interest: variants present in GISAID but not detected in the UK

International variants

Omicron BA.2.12.1 (V-22MAY-01)

International signals under monitoring

Variants originating from China given changes in epidemiology

SARS-CoV-2 variants of public health interest: variants which have become provisionally extinct

Variants provisionally extinct (not detected for 12 weeks in the UK or in GISAID)

Alpha (V-20DEC-01/B.1.1.7)
P.1 (Gamma) (previously VOC-21JAN-02)
A.23.1 with E484K (previously VUI-21FEB-01)
Alpha with E484K (previously VOC-21FEB-02)
B.1.324.1 with E484K (previously VUI-21MAR-01)
AV.1 (previously VUI-21MAY-01)
P.3 (previously VUI-21MAR-02)
B.1.318 (previously VUI-21FEB-04)
P.2 (previously VUI-21JAN-01)
B.1.617.1 (previously VUI-21APR-01)
A.27
C.36.3
Iota (B.1.526)
Mu (V-21JUL-01, B.1.621)
Beta (VOC-20DEC-02, B.1.351)
B.1.525 (previously VUI-21FEB-03)
XD recombinant (V-22APR-01, Delta x BA.1)
V-21OCT-01 (AY.4.2)
V-21APR-03 (B.1.617.3)

Signals provisionally extinct (not detected for 12 weeks in the UK or in GISAID)

A.30
B.1.633
AT.1
P.5
R.1
B.1.620
B.1.1.7 + B.1.617.2 (XC recombinant)
B.1.214.2
B.1.619
B.1.640
AY.119.2/BA.1.1 recombinant
XF recombinant
BA.2.75.2
BA.5.2.35

Signals removed after review

Variants under investigation (VUIs) and signals in monitoring may be removed from the grid if they show consistently low growth rates.

AY.33
AY.34
AY.43
B.1.629
B.1.630
B.1.628 recombinant of (B.1.631 and B.1.634)
C.1.2
C.37 (Lambda) (previously VUI-21JUN-01)
C.37 (2nd gen)
Epsilon (B.1.427/B.1.429)
P.1.8
Variant associated with North America: USA 214insQAS Samples
Delta + E484K phylogenetic cluster
Unassigned Omicron, potential BA.2 recombinant
BJ.1
BA.3
BA.4.7
BF.7 (BA.5.2.1)
BS.1 (BA.2.3.2.1)
Omicron and Delta recombinant XAW
BA.2.3.20