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Omicron stealth variant still rising: Study

  A BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant of Covid, named a "stealth variant" by experts due to the absence of certain genetic changes that can distinguish this variant easily from others, remains at a high level even as infections decline across England, a latest study reports on Thursday.
Experts behind the long-running Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission study in the UK warn that Omicron is keeping infection rates still very high and the possibility that they are rising in older adults may be cause for concern. The analysis by Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI, based on around 95,000 swab tests taken between February 8 and March 1, showed that the highest rates of BA.2 were found in London.
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