After COVID-19 variant Eris, another new variant, BA 2.86, has been detected in countries like Denmark, Israel and the United States. Last week, the variant was first detected on July 24 and it has been classified as a ‘variant under monitoring’.
Moreover, US Center for Disease Control and Prevention also announced that it is tracking the variant. According to media reports, the new lineage has as many as 36 mutations from the currently-dominant Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5.
XBB.2.3, XBB.1.9.2, XBB.1.9.1, XBB, CH.1.1, and BA.2.75 are currently featured in the list of variant under monitoring list of WHO.
Reportedly, health experts across the world are concerned about its massive number of mutations may lead to a bigger spike in cases as compared to previous waves.
On Friday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that the first case of COVID-19 variant BA.2.86 had been detected in the country in an individual with no recent travel history.
What are the symptoms of BA 2.86 variant?
According to health experts, the symptoms are similar to the currently predominant lineage of Omicron XBB 15 which include:
- fever
- cough
- headache
- body pain
- fatigue
- abdominal discomfort
Meanwhile, scientists are analysing BA 2.86 to understand the ACE 2 receptor affinity, which will determine its spread and severity of the cases.
What is the difference between COVID-19 variants Eris and BA 2.86?
According to CDC, XBB descendant – EG.5 or Eris – has already climbed to nearly 1 in 5 cases in the US. However, BA.2.86 hasn’t shown that if it can spread faster than other descendants of the XBB Omicron variant
According to the US CDC, BA.2.86 will remain aggregated with its distant parent, the Omicron variant known as BA.2, until it reaches 1% prevalence in its weighted estimates.
Dr. S. Wesley Long, medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist Hospital, as quoted by Reuters, said that BA.2.86 stems from an “earlier branch” of the coronavirus, so it differs from the variant targeted by current vaccines.
