Covid-19: Scientists sound alarm over new BA.2.86 “Pirola” variant

A new SARS-CoV-2 subvariant with a high number of mutations that could help it neutralise the immune system has emerged in four countries, raising alarm among scientists.“BA.2.86 is the most striking SARS-CoV-2 strain the world has witnessed since the emergence of omicron,” said Francois Balloux, professor of computational systems biology and director of University College London’s Genetics Institute.Genetic sequencing has found BA.2.86 in six covid cases so far, the earliest being in Denmark on 24 July. The other cases were from Israel, the UK, and the US. None of the cases seem linked. The UK Health Security Agency said that the UK case was in a person with no recent travel history, suggesting a degree of community transmission within the UK.The genetic diversity suggests that BA.2.86 has been in circulation for months, said Balloux. “Interestingly, all 30-plus mutations on that long branch are found in the spike protein—through which the…
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