Health officials and scientists are now rushing to study BA.2.86, he said. new virus that’s the cause COVID-19 (novel coronavirus infection)after the highly mutated variant was discovered to be spreading in multiple countries around the world and in at least three states in the United States.
Officials so far say they are well prepared in case the infection continues to spread. Initial assessments suggest that BA.2.86 will not render current treatments and tests, or even future vaccines that roll out next month, useless.
However, many questions remain about this variant. nickname “Pirolla” on social media. That mutation could represent an evolutionary leap on par with the emergence of the Omicron subspecies in 2021.
Here’s the latest information we know about this strain.
Are there new variants of the novel coronavirus?
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization said scientists are closely tracking the emergence of highly mutated new coronavirus variants. labeled BA.2.86.
New variant first raised concerns early this month Mutation trackers have noticed the emergence of a small number of new sequences in global virus databases with numerous genetic alterations that differ from the circulating strains.
BA.2.86 compared to the XBB.1.5 variant that caused waves earlier this year and was selected for the upcoming fall booster shot have 36 mutations.
The early 2021 Omicron mutant sequence also had a similar number of mutations when compared to the original strain of the virus.
Mutations in BA.2.86 involve changes in key parts of the virus that may help the mutants evade the body’s immune defenses from previous infections and vaccinations.
Experiments by scientists testing mutations in virus strains against the virus’ antibodies may soon tell us more about the effects of virus strains.
Among them is Professor Cao Yonglong of Peking University. evaluation The ability of mutants to evade antibodies has played an important role in helping global authorities judge the threat posed by past strains.
Cao told CBS News he expects to have some data on BA.2.86 by “early next week.”
Where was the new novel coronavirus variant BA.2.86 detected?
At least 10 people have been infected report As of August 25, it has been registered by the global virus database GISAID or health authorities. 4 are registered. Denmarktwo in South Africa, two in the United States, one in Israel and one in the United Kingdom.
No deaths reported, according to WHO on Aug 24 report. The UN agency said none of the cases had a known “epidemiological link” to each other.
The first known case in the U.S. was reported from a sample collected on Aug. 3, according to metadata report Sent to GISAID from a lab at the University of Michigan.
A spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health said the sample was taken from an adult living in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
The second US case of BA.2.86 is report Submitted to GISAID from samples collected at Dulles International Airport in Virginia on August 10.
CDC contractor Airport test program The infection was confirmed in a woman who had traveled from Japan to an airport in the Washington, D.C. area.
Ohio announced the discovery of the variant on Aug. 23, after confirming that the state health department was investigating “preliminary detection” of the BA.2.86 signature mutation in sewage. became the third state.
Mark Johnson, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Missouri, said on social media that the detection was based on: result Published this month by the CDC sewer inspection program. These were first published on his August 17th. sample It was collected late last month in Elyria, Ohio.
CDC officials said they expect the CDC to decide within the next two weeks whether it can formally confirm the detection.
At least five other countries have also reported at least preliminary indications of BA.2.86 mutations in wastewater samples.
Two countries, Switzerland and Thailand, have confirmed cases, according to the WHO.Denmark announced about them on social media. Scientists in Spain and Germany have also reported indications of possible mutations with BA.2.86, Sorin Sion of the European Union’s SARS-CoV-2 sewage monitoring system told CBS News via email. .
Will the novel coronavirus test detect the new novel coronavirus variant BA.2.86?
Based on initial analysis, current COVID-19 testing is expected to continue to work with BA.2.86.
“Based on the mutational profile of BA.2.86, the expected molecular and antigenic effects are low,” the CDC said in a statement. risk assessment It was released on August 23rd.
U.S. officials have previously touted a joint effort by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health to continuously monitor the effects of variants in COVID-19 testing.
Detailed computer modeling allows FDA to List up In the past, some tests on the company’s website predicted that the previous stock would underperform.
However, NIH and Emory University It may still be needed to see if the new variant might degrade the performance of real tests. It is unclear whether the FDA is seeking revalidation of the tests.
That would require experiments with samples taken from real humans infected with the strain, but samples are currently in short supply.
Last year, the FDA Said It will also urge Americans to repeat at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen tests after NIH-backed scientists found an increase in false-negative results.
Are the symptoms of novel coronavirus variant BA.2.86 different from previous strains?
There are some promising early anecdotes, but at this point it’s too early to know for sure whether BA.2.86 will cause new or worsening symptoms.
Michigan Department of Health Said Their case was “a non-hospitalized elderly person with mild symptoms.” The Virginia traveler was asymptomatic, according to metadata submitted by a CDC contractor.
In Denmark, the Statens Serum Institute Said The first three cases had no symptoms “other than those normally seen during the course of COVID-19”.
In hospitalization due to new coronavirus infection, already rising Mutants with few mutations are spreading the infection across the country. So far, it doesn’t look like this trend is getting any worse, especially with the early detection of this strain.
In its assessment, the CDC said, “At this time, areas where this variant has been detected have not seen a disproportionate increase in infection indicators (e.g., cases, emergency room visits) or hospitalizations relative to neighboring areas. ‘ said.
Is the vaccine also effective against novel coronavirus variant BA.2.86?
Upcoming vaccines are expected to help with BA.2.86, but we need to know more.
The emergence of this variant comes as health officials prepare for the rollout of a new coronavirus vaccine next month, which is expected to be available soon after vaccination. meeting The CDC’s external vaccine advisor announced on September 12.
Those shots XBB.1.5 variantwhen the Food and Drug Administration selected it in June, it was considered the best option to further extend immunity to the virus.
If BA.2.86 becomes dominant, Bloom believes these shots may not be enough to prevent the virus from spreading due to mutations in the strain.
But Bloom says the body’s other immune defenses may still work to blunt the strain’s dangers. The CDC said it now evaluates its latest vaccine to be “effective in reducing severe disease and hospitalizations.”
“While strain-specific neutralizing antibodies[which are evaded by the new mutants]provide the best protection against infection, there is a degree of protection induced by vaccination and infection that provides some protection against severe disease.” I want to keep in mind that there is also a broad immune system that is responsible for it,” Bloom said. In his Aug. 17 email to CBS News.
