(Salt Lake City, UT) – Utah health officials are confirming they detected a different strain of the COVID-19 Omicron variant. The so-called “stealth variant” was identified from tests last month. Evidence from Europe suggests the sub-variant may not be more severe than the original Omicron strain, but is more transmissible. Utah health officials don’t believe the stealth variant will lead to a large increase in cases since the Omicron variant is already spreading across the state. However, it could prolong the latest surge in cases.