A novel COVID-19 variation is making headlines in newspapers all over the world with frightening potential health risks. The BA.2.86 variant, known as “Pirola” after a sizable asteroid that frequents the vicinity of Jupiter, has been found in 11 different nations thus far.
Where has BA.2.86 been detected?
Thus far, the variant has been identified in South Africa, Thailand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Denmark, the UK, and the US based on sequences uploaded to the global GISAID database and wastewater detections. However, it might be circulating elsewhere as well due to inadequate and delayed genomic surveillance. As of yet, no deaths have been reported.
There is currently no proof that this variation is leading to more serious illnesses.
The variant has been linked to an outbreak in a Norfolk care facility in the UK, where 28 individuals have contracted the infection. The UK Health Security Agency stated that “this is an early indicator that the variant may be sufficiently transmissible to have [an] impact in close contact settings,” even though it cannot be used to evaluate the variant’s fitness.
What do we know about the mutations it contains?
Because BA.2.86 has at least 30 more mutations than the “Kraken” (XBB.1.5) and “Eris” (EG.5) variants, the WHO is currently classifying it as a variant under surveillance. They haven’t been tracking it long enough to determine the effects of these mutations or whether BA.2.86 is outcompeting other variants.
Nevertheless, a lot of scientists believe they will make it more difficult for our immune systems to identify them and launch a powerful defense.
Since SARS-CoV-2 is still around, we have developed some immunity, particularly thanks to our cellular T-cell system, which is less susceptible to variations. However, the quick neutralization of the virus is dependent on antibodies, and those antibodies’ levels against BA.2.86 are bound to be far lower than those against previous versions of the virus we have been [exposed to] or immunized against “in his weekly Ground Truths Substack newsletter, Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine and the director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California, said.
There is currently no proof that the BA.2.86 variant is causing more severe illness, but the US Centers for Disease Control have stated that individuals who have had COVID-19 in the past or who have received prior vaccinations may be more susceptible to infection.
What about other currently circulating variants?
The EG.5 or “Eris” variant has been detected in at least 57 countries thus far, and cases of this variant have only increased.It currently represents the most common variant of interest worldwide, making up 26.1% of the sequences uploaded to GISAID in the week ending August 13, 2023. According to WHO, this represents a “noticeable increase” from the week ending July 16, 2023, when it made up 15.4% of sequenced samples. It has been found in 57 countries thus far. Over the course of the previous month, the prevalence of other variants of interest and variants under observation has either decreased or stayed stable.
“Since SARS-CoV-2 is still around, we have developed some immunity, particularly thanks to our cellular T-cell system, which is less susceptible to variations. However, the speed at which antibodies can neutralize the virus is dependent upon them, and the quantity of neutralizing antibodies against BA.2.86 is undoubtedly going to be significantly lower than that of previous iterations of the virus that we have been exposed to or immunized against.”
– Eric Topol, Professor of Molecular Medicine and Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute
Their arrival serves as a reminder that SARS-CoV-2 is still circulating and evolving, even though there isn’t currently any evidence that any of these emerging variants cause more severe disease or that the world is about to experience a sudden and dramatic new wave of infections similar to the one we saw when Omicron first emerged in late 2021. Because of this, it’s more crucial than ever to continue surveillance, sequence and report infections, and accept the offer of COVID-19 vaccinations, particularly for high-risk populations.
