New Covid-19 variant BA.2.86 recorded in many countries

This new strain of the Omicron variant carries more than 35 genetic mutations in key parts of the virus compared to XBB.1.5, the dominant variant for most of 2023.

The BA.2.86 variant was first detected in Denmark on July 24 after infecting a patient at risk of severe illness and having its genome sequenced. Since then, BA.2.86 has been detected in other symptomatic patients during routine airport screening and in wastewater samples in several countries.

In her first interview with reporters about BA.2.86, WHO technical lead on Covid-19, Maria Van Kerkhove, said the number of people infected with this variant remains low. However, the recorded cases are not linked to each other, suggesting that BA.2.86 has spread more widely in the context of significantly reduced Covid-19 testing activities worldwide .

Scientists are testing and determining the effectiveness of updated Covid-19 vaccines against BA.2.86, Ms. Van Kerkhove added. She also noted that Covid-19 vaccines are more effective at preventing severe disease and death than at preventing the risk of reinfection. Meanwhile, Dutch virologist and WHO advisor Marion Koopmans said the world is in a very different phase of the epidemic than when this pandemic broke out.

In the US, Dr. Nirav Shah, Deputy Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that after discovering the new variant BA.2.86 last week, the agency held several meetings with scientists and released a risk assessment (of the variant) on August 23. As of August 23, nine cases of BA.2.86 had been detected and the variant was also found in wastewater in Switzerland.

The review found that current testing and vaccines appear to be effective against BA.2.86, although the variant may be more transmissible in vaccinated people and those who have had COVID-19 before. There is no evidence that BA.2.86 causes more severe disease.

Dozens of scientists around the world believe that BA.2.86 is unlikely to cause a wave of severe illness and death due to the immune defenses that have been built up worldwide from vaccination and previous COVID-19 infections. There is also no evidence that BA.2.86 causes more severe disease. However, experts emphasize the need to carefully consider the potential risk from BA.2.86 and continue to monitor this new variant.

Minh Hoa (reported by VTV, Tin Tuc newspaper)

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