Health officials have identified the presence of the highly mutated COVID-19 variant BA.2.86 in at least ten states, as authorities maintain a vigilant watch over its spread.
According to data compiled from the global virus database GISAID, laboratories have detected BA.2.86 in samples collected from Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
Despite its emergence, BA.2.86 still accounts for a relatively small portion of new COVID-19 cases nationwide. Notably, it has not yet gained sufficient prevalence to appear on the biweekly variant estimates provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which indicate that a multitude of closely related descendants of the XBB variant continue to be the primary drivers of infections across the country.
Natalie Thornburg, a laboratory branch chief within the CDC’s Coronaviruses and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, observed, “The diversity is less than what appears. Many of these lineages actually have identical spike sequences. We’ve observed this before, where we see convergent evolution and viruses evolving to have the same substitutions.”
Thornburg further emphasized that it remains too early to determine whether BA.2.86 will become significantly prevalent.
However, health authorities suspect that BA.2.86 is spreading globally, with initial concerns raised by scientists in August due to the variant’s extensive mutations. The CDC noted, “We are concluding this because some of the people infected with BA.2.86 do not have known links to other infected individuals and did not recently travel to an area with known cases of illness from BA.2.86.” Additionally, several countries have detected the variant in wastewater samples and tests from infected individuals, including provinces in Canada. Signs of the strain have also been detected in travelers arriving from abroad through the CDC’s airport testing program.
While the transmissibility of BA.2.86 in comparison to other emerging strains remains uncertain, officials acknowledge that it possesses the capability to spark outbreaks. In the United Kingdom, nearly two dozen nursing home residents were infected by the variant in a cluster of cases reported last month.
Hanna Kirking, from the CDC’s COVID-19 epidemiology task force, commented, “At this point, although we’ve got limited clinical data, on the cases who have been reported, there isn’t evidence that it is causing more severe illness. But it’s something we’ll continue to track.”
Preliminary research findings have offered some reassurance, suggesting that the variant may not be as adept at evading the body’s immune defenses as initially feared. Vaccine manufacturers have also expressed confidence that the updated COVID-19 vaccines currently being distributed should remain effective against BA.2.86.
Research on BA.2.86 has primarily relied on pseudoviruses in laboratory settings, but studies using authentic samples from infected patients are now underway.
Despite some optimism regarding the recent decline in emergency department visits associated with COVID-19, officials remain cautious as they monitor the potential impact of the variant during the upcoming respiratory virus season, which typically coincides with the colder months.
Furthermore, scientists have observed BA.2.86 branching into at least two distinct sublineages, with cases from both sublineages detected in the United States and a limited number reported worldwide, indicating the need for continued surveillance and study.
As the situation evolves, health authorities will continue to closely monitor the progress and impact of the BA.2.86 variant.