CDC: New COVID-19 variant may affect vaccinated or previously infected people more than earlier strains

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Wednesday that a newly detected COVID-19 variant labeled BA.2.86 may have greater ability than earlier variants to infect people who have been vaccinated against the virus or who have previously been infected by it.

In its report titled Risk Assessment Summary for SARS CoV-2 Sublineage BA.2.86, the CDC stated it is continually monitoring new variants and assessing their impact on public health. Concerning BA.2.86 itself, the CDC said: “The large number of mutations in this variant raises concerns of greater escape from existing immunity from vaccines and previous infections compared with other recent variants.”

However, the CDC report continued, only nine sequences have so far been detected and it is therefore too early to determine how transmissible BA.2.86 is. At the same, the CDC said: “Detection across multiple continents suggests some degree of transmissibility.” The variant has so far been detected in the US, Denmark and Israel.

Concerning the severity of the BA.2.86 lineage, the CDC explains it is also too soon to determine whether this variant will be more severe than earlier strains: “The CDC is closely monitoring hospitalization rates to identify any potential early signals that the BA.2.86 variant is causing more severe illness,” the risk assessment reads.

“At this time, locations where this variant has been detected have not experienced increases in transmission indicators (e.g., cases, emergency department visits) or hospitalizations out of proportion to those seen in neighboring locations,” the assessment states. “However, it is early in the emergence of this variant and too soon to evaluate impacts based on these indicators.”

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