Health officials have detected a new lineage of the Covid-19 virus, known as BA.2.86, and are keeping an eye on it.
Its existence in the US, Denmark, and Israel has been documented by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Because of the substantial number of mutations present in this variety, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated it as a “variant under monitoring.”
Experts are unsure if BA.2.86 will outcompete other strains or have an edge against protection from past infections or immunisations, despite the fact that it shares 36 mutations with the common XXB.1.5 Covid variation.
Although preliminary research shows that it could have immune evasion qualities that are on par with or better than XXB.1.5, it is hypothesised to be less transmissible. To ascertain its potential impact, further sequencing information is needed.
