New Highly Mutated Lineage of COVID-19 Virus Detected, CDC Reports
February 17, 2023
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday that they are closely monitoring a new lineage of the virus responsible for COVID-19. Named BA.2.86, this highly mutated variant has already been identified in the United States, Denmark, and Israel, according to a post shared by the CDC on the messaging platform X.
While the agency continues to learn more about the BA.2.86 lineage, the CDC emphasizes that its recommendations for protecting oneself from COVID-19 remain unchanged. This discovery comes shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) classified BA.2.86 as a “variant under monitoring” due to the significant number of mutations it carries.
The WHO highlighted that only a limited number of sequences of this variant have been reported across a few countries. However, experts are concerned about its potential impact and how it may interact with the existing COVID-19 landscape.
Dr. S. Wesley Long, the medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist, explained that the BA.2.86 lineage “harkens back to an earlier branch” of the virus. Currently, it is uncertain whether this new variant will out-compete other strains or possess any advantages in evading immune responses from prior infections or vaccinations.
Initial analysis suggests that the BA.2.86 variant may exhibit an equal or greater ability to evade antibodies compared to the dominant XXB.1.5 variant. Jesse Bloom, a virologist at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, noted in a slide deck that the new variant may have similar resistance to antibodies elicited by pre-Omicron and first-generation Omicron variants. It is worth mentioning that the upcoming COVID booster shots are designed to target the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5.
Bloom’s slides further indicate that it is most likely that BA.2.86 is less transmissible than the current dominant variants, suggesting that it may not spread widely. However, more sequencing data is necessary to confirm this hypothesis. Dr. Long expressed concern that this new variant could potentially cause a surge in cases greater than what has been witnessed in recent waves. Nevertheless, he reassured individuals that booster shots would continue to aid in fighting COVID-19 infections.
As this highly mutated lineage of the COVID-19 virus garners close attention from health authorities worldwide, researchers and scientists will continue to closely monitor and study its characteristics to assess its potential implications for public health.