Emerging BA.2.86 COVID Variant Sparks Concern as Cases Rise

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a risk assessment on the BA.2.86 variant of COVID-19, which may be more likely to cause breakthrough infections in individuals who have previously had COVID-19 or received COVID-19 vaccines. The variant, a subvariant of Omicron, has been detected in nine cases across Denmark, South Africa, the U.S., the U.K., and Israel. BA.2.86 has more than 35 amino acid changes to its spike protein, potentially reducing the effectiveness of vaccines and previous infections. However, it is still unclear how infectious and severe the variant is due to the limited number of cases. Existing treatments are expected to be effective against BA.2.86.