A senior official at the World Health Organization said that one of the highly mutated strains of Covid-19, called “PA. 2.86”, had been detected in Switzerland, South Africa, Israel, Denmark, the United States and Britain.
Ba2.86, one of the Omicron variants, has more than 35 mutations in key parts of the virus’s structure compared to the most prevalent XBB1.5 variant for most of 2023, a number nearly equal to the Omicron variant that He caused a record number of injuries compared to his predecessor.
It was detected for the first time in Denmark on July 24, and subsequently in a number of countries in patients showing symptoms of infection, in traditional examinations at airports, and in samples of wastewater.
Twelve scientists from around the world said that although it is important to track down the Ba2.86 variant, it is unlikely that it will cause a wave of severe infections and deaths, given the immunization of vaccines for immune defenses around the world and the occurrence of previous infections.
For her part, Maria Van Kerkhove, the chief technical specialist for Covid-19 at the World Health Organization, said, “The numbers are still small,” during her first interviews about “PA2.86.” She added that the lack of links between the known cases indicates that the disease is already spreading on a much larger scale, precisely because of the poor monitoring of the disease outbreaks around the world.
Scientists are testing the efficacy of modern COVID-19 vaccines against the BaA2.86 variant. Kerkhove indicated that vaccines are better at preventing disease exacerbation and death than at preventing recurrence of infection.
“We are in a very different phase of the pandemic,” said Marion Combans, a Dutch virologist who advises the World Health Organization.
2023-08-24 20:43:00
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