WHO and US CDC are now tracking new COVID variant BA.2.86

WHO and US CDC are now tracking new COVID variant BA.2.86

Subject :Science and technology

Section: Health

Context:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) on August 18, 2023 said it is monitoring a new variant of the novel coronavirus, BA.2.86, also known as BA.X.

About the new variant BA.2.86 or BA.X:

• It has so far been detected in the US, Denmark and Israel.
• WHO monitors the different COVID variants under three categories:

1. Variant under monitoring (VUM), meaning the global health agency is tracking the variant closely.
2. Variant of interest (VOI)
3. Variant of concern (VOC) if there is evidence that it is more transmissible, more likely to cause severe disease or evades immunity.

• The WHO has classified BA.2.86 as a VUM.
• EG.5 is a sublineage of the Omicron variant and was designated a VOI earlier this month.
• Globally, EG.5 (dubbed Eris) and XBB.1.16 (Arcturus) are the most prevalent VOIs.
• The four WHO regions have reported decreases in the number of both cases and deaths, the Western Pacific Region has reported an increase in cases and a decrease in deaths.

For details on classification of virus variant: https://optimizeias.com/eg-5-1-covid-variant-takes-off-india-not-at-risk-currently/