What you should know
A new and rare variant of COVID-19 has been detected in New York City wastewater. The latest variant, BA.2.86, has been previously observed in other parts of the US, but has not yet been detected anywhere. of the state of New York. However, it was recently found in tests of city sewage, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. There’s good news: There’s no evidence to suggest the new variant causes more serious illness, according to the Department of Health.
NEW YORK — A rare new variant of COVID-19 has been detected in New York City’s wastewater, and not much is known about it yet.
The latest variant, BA.2.86, has previously been observed in other parts of the US, but has not yet been detected anywhere in New York state. However, it was recently found in tests of city sewage, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The department did not specify when it was found or when tests were conducted.
The new variant has not been found in any tests of local residents, but health officials said it is “almost certainly” already circulating in the city. And the Department of Health added that it will likely be more adept at evading immunity from vaccines than previous iterations of the virus.
There’s good news: There’s no evidence to suggest the new variant causes more serious disease, according to the Department of Health.
Health officials advised New Yorkers, particularly the most vulnerable, to receive the updated COVID-19 booster when it becomes available in the coming weeks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects updated vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax to be available to the public by mid-September, an agency official said last week.
This equates to the most specific timeline to date for the new injections, which are designed to target the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-variant. CDC Director Mandy Cohen had previously provided a later timeline, telling NPR that the vaccines could be available as early as “early October.”
Those vaccines still need approval from the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC, which will set the guidelines for who is eligible for the shots. An independent panel of CDC advisors will meet on September 12 to vote on a recommendation for those guidelines.
The arrival of updated vaccines offers some reassurance to Americans as the United States sees a slight increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. But those metrics remain below the summer peak that put pressure on hospitals last year, the CDC official noted.
The current rise appears to be driven by newer strains of the virus such as EG.5 or Eris, an Omicron subvariant that accounted for 17.3% of all cases as of last week, according to the CDC. But it’s not clear how well the new vaccines will protect against BA.2.86, which has been identified in a very small number of cases.
“I think it’s too early to know for sure about BA.2.86 in terms of exact data,” the FDA official said, adding that more information will be available in the coming weeks.
However, the official noted that the new vaccines will likely protect against any serious outcome from contracting the COVID-19 virus.
Last week, the World Health Organization and the CDC said they are tracking BA.2.86 because it has 36 mutations that distinguish it from XBB.1.5. So far, there is no evidence that BA.2.86 spreads faster or causes more serious infections than earlier versions.
CNBC’s Annika Kim Constantino contributed to this report.
2023-08-30 13:55:31
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