Tension Rises with the Emergence of New Variant BA.2.86
The new subvariant of COVID-19, BA.2.86, which has recently been reported worldwide, is also showing signs of spreading in the United States.
This variant is known to have about 30 more mutations in the spike protein than the existing Omicron variant of COVID-19. A higher number of mutations means it can more easily evade the existing immune system.
According to US ABC News and others on the 2nd (local time), the Genome Sequencing Team, a genetic analysis organization at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, first identified the BA.2.86 variant on the 31st of last month.
BA.2.86 has appeared sequentially in five states, starting from Michigan, then New York, Virginia, and others.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been on high alert as BA.2.86 has recently been detected not only in the US but also in the UK, Israel, Denmark, and other countries, showing signs of spreading.
This variant, a subvariant of the Omicron variant BA.2, nicknamed "Pirola," has about 30 more mutations in the spike protein than BA.2.
The spike protein is the weapon the COVID-19 virus uses to invade the human body, and the more mutations it has, the greater the possibility of evading the existing immune system.
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of COVID-19 patients in the US increased by 18.8% in the third week of August compared to the previous survey.
On the 1st, a banner related to the COVID-19 vaccine is displayed at a pharmacy near Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City, USA. [Photo by AFP / Yonhap News]
William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee, said, "This virus has started to spread not only in the US but also in other parts of the world," adding, "Like all Omicron variants, it is clearly contagious."
However, Dr. Schaffner added that the dominant strain in the US is the XBB variant EG.5 (Eris), and even if BA.2.86 spreads, it may not become the dominant strain.
Earlier, research showed that deer are a major reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 and that the mutation rate after infection is three times faster than in humans.
This virus causes COVID-19. The research was conducted by a team led by Andrew Bowman, a professor in the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at Ohio State University, studying COVID-19 infection and mutation patterns in white-tailed deer.
The research team stated, "It appears that the COVID-19 virus can move between humans and animals more easily than we previously thought."
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