Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in Italy (according to the 22nd and 23rd ISS genomic surveillance reports and the ISS Flash Surveys of July 5th and August 2nd 2022)
Published: 23 September 2022
This highlight provides a brief overview of the main results from the most recent reports (data from July 5th and August 2nd 2022). Data from the previous report (data from June 7th 2022) are also included for the sake of comparison.
According to data collected during the Flash Surveys performed by ISS on July 5th and August 2nd 2022, the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529, its derivative lineages BA.n and BA.1/BA.2 recombinant lineages) is the only variant of SARS-CoV-2 currently circulating in Italy with an estimated prevalence of 100% at National level. Despite this, the prevalence of Omicron sublineages presents a more variable pattern. The prevalence of BA.2 dropped dramatically, decreasing from 62,98% (June 7th), to 10,32% (July 5th) and finally reaching 1,43% according to the most recent update (August 2nd). At the same time, the prevalence of BA.5 shows an opposite trend and increased from 23,15% on June 7th, to 75,53% (July 5th), reaching an estimated value of 90,79% on August 2nd. Finally, BA.4 shows a peculiar situation as its prevalence first increased between June 7th and July 5th (from 11,41% to 13,22%) and then decreased to 6,66% on August 2nd.
Please refer to the reports as provided on the ISS website at the following links (italian only) for a complete reference:
- Report n. 22
- Prevalence analysis (July 5th 2022)
- Report n. 23
- Prevalence analysis (August 2nd 2022)
The previous report is available at the following link (italian only):
- Report
- Prevalence analysis (June 7th 2022)
Source: ISS (prevalence data)