New variant of Covid-19, B.A. 2.86 seen in UK
The UK Health and Safety Agency (UKHSA) announced that the frequently mutated ‘BA.2.86’ variant of Covid-19 was also seen in the United Kingdom (UK). The new variant, about which there is not enough information, emerged in Israel and was later seen in Denmark and the United States (US).
BA.2.86, one of the sub-variants of Covid-19 with an interesting name, was last seen in the United Kingdom (UK). The new variant, which emerged as a new subtype of the Omicron variant, was seen in a person who had recently traveled, the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) said in a statement.
"BA.2.86 is genomically more distant from Omicron with variants already found and has undergone a higher number of mutations," the statement said.
In the statement, it was emphasized that the occurrence of this virus in a person with no travel history indicates domestic transmission, and noted that there is not enough data on the characteristics and severity of the new variant yet, and the views of UKHSA Vice President Meera Chand were also included in the statement.
"There is one confirmed case in the UK. UKHSA is currently conducting a detailed assessment and will provide further information in due course. UKHSA will continue to monitor the situation closely and will publish the results of its analysis as they become available," Chand said.
ALSO SEEN IN ISRAEL
The BA.2.86 variant, about which there is not enough information yet, was first seen in Israel and then in Denmark and the United States (US).
In a statement released yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated the status of the variant, named BA.2.86, to "variant under observation" due to the large number of mutations it carries.
Stating that reports from several countries have yet to be submitted, WHO also stated that there are currently 3 variants in the "to be monitored" category and 7 variants in the "under observation" category.
Source: Anadolu Agency
