CDC suggests BA.2.86 subvariant may have a higher likelihood of causing breakthrough infections

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has conducted a risk assessment indicating that the recently discovered BA.2.86 COVID-19 subvariant may have a higher likelihood of infecting individuals who have previously been infected with the virus or who have received vaccinations. However, it is still unclear whether this strain causes more severe illness than others.

BA.2.86 was first detected last month and has been reported in a few cases in the U.S., Denmark, South Africa, the U.K., and Israel. The CDC has expressed concern that the reduced genomic sequencing of COVID-19 could result in longer undetected spread and the emergence of new strains.

Currently, only two cases of BA.2.86 have been confirmed in the U.S. This new strain is believed to be descended from the BA.2 “stealth” variant that was rampant worldwide in early 2022.

The updated COVID-19 vaccines are designed to target strains originating from the XBB omicron subvariant. The CDC is currently evaluating the effectiveness of these updated vaccines in reducing severe illness and hospitalizations.

In comparison to other strains derived from the omicron subvariant, BA.2.86 has a significantly higher number of mutations. The CDC compares the differences between BA.2.86 and its likely ancestor BA.2 to the disparities between the delta and omicron variants.

The CDC’s risk assessment states, “The large number of mutations in this variant raises concerns of greater escape from existing immunity from vaccines and previous infections compared with other recent variants. For example, one analysis of mutations suggests the difference may be as large as or greater than that between BA.2 and XBB.1.5, which circulated nearly a year apart.”

However, the agency emphasizes that it is still too early to determine the real-world impact of the recently detected strain on immunity.

The World Health Organization has classified BA.2.86 as a “variant under monitoring,” indicating that it exhibits genetic changes that suggest an early advantage over other circulating strains, although the actual impact remains uncertain.

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