.png)
BA.2.86, a variant of COVID-19, has now been spotted in 10 states across the U.S. In August, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a newly discovered COVID-19 strain called BA.2.86.
According to the CDC, it’s not unusual to see strains of COVID-19 emerging because all viruses do this. The correct terminology for a changing virus, such as COVID-19’s BA.2.86, is a variant.
How the variant changes is vital to determining how contagious it will be and how it will respond to potential treatment. BA.2.86 has increased interest from the CDC because of its multiple genetic differences from previous versions of COVID-19.
And while still rare, the BA.2.86 variant has now been detected in Maryland, Colorado, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
The variant has also made itself known in other countries, including the United Kingdom, where two dozen care home residents were infected late last August in a series of what the United Kingdom government called “cluster” cases.
Since reports of BA.2.86 are still too infrequent, the CDC has yet to include it in their biweekly variant surveillance reports. The reports primarily feature the driving force of most infections across the country: the closely related XBB variant descendants.
At a meeting of CDC agency vaccine advisors earlier this month, Natalie Thornburg, laboratory branch chief in the CDC’s Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, says it’s too early to know if BA.2.86 will be of any significant circulation.
Even amid the CDC’s lack of concern for the spread of BA.2.86, the variant is still spotted across the globe. A multitude of countries have reported the variant detected in wastewater samples as well as infected individuals. The CDC’s airport testing program has also found BA.2.86 samples in traveling individuals.
BA.2.86 Risk Evaluation
Regardless of the variant’s seeming ability to spread, the current risk assessment is low. In an event hosted by the Infectious Disease Society of America, Hanna Kirking of the CDC’s COVID-19 epidemiology task force was reassuring, stating that no current evidence leads them to believe that this variant will cause more severe illness than other strains.
So far, early research findings on the variant have been positive, appearing that existing antibodies will work against the BA.2.86 variant, making it less likely to invade the immune system. The CDC also stated that existing tests used to detect COVID-19 and medication used to treat COVID-19 will be equally effective for the BA.2.86 variant.
Read next: 5 Ways to Boost Your Immune System Before Winter
They did, however, inform the public that those most at risk for contracting the variant could be formerly infected individuals and those vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine. While the CDC is still working on a more updated version of the vaccine, the assessment is that it will effectively reduce severe illness and hospitalization.
CDC Recommended Safety Measures
Here are the recommended safety measures for protecting yourself and your family from this new B.A.2.86 variant as provided by the CDC:
Stay home if you’re feeling sick.
Get tested for COVID-19 if you suspect you’ve been exposed.
Seek treatment if you have COVID-19 and are susceptible to severe illness.
Wear a high-quality mask that covers both your mouth and nose.
Improve the ventilation of your indoor dwelling areas.
Frequently wash your hands.
This is the most current information provided by the CDC on the BA.2.86 variant. New information constantly emerges, leading to severity, treatment, and more changes.