2023-08-26 15:13:41
09:33 AM
According to the latest reports from the World Health Organization (WHO), the figures for covid infection have been showing a 63% increase in cases and a 56% decrease in deaths compared to the 28 days prior to the report.
As of August 13, 2023, the cumulative numbers of covid-19 reached more than 769 million confirmed cases and more than 6.9 million deaths worldwide. While four regions of the health entity have reported decreases in the number of cases and deaths, the Western Pacific Region has reported an increase in cases and a decrease in deaths.
Amid the continued evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its ability to generate new variants, a new sub-variant of the Omicron variant has recently emerged, dubbed BA.2.86, also known as Pirola.
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The Pirola subvariant is a branch of the Omicron variant, which was first identified in South Africa in November 2021. Like its predecessor, Pirola has accumulated a significant number of mutations in the spike protein of the virus, which could potentially influence in its transmissibility, severity, and ability to evade prior immunity.
So far, only six sequences of the BA.2.86 subvariant have been reported in four countries. However, public health experts caution that this figure may be an underestimate due to decreased global follow-up for the variants. Despite initial cases in Israel, the subvariant has also been detected in Denmark, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Given the limited number of confirmed cases so far, the entity classified it as a “variant of interest” since it is characterized by having a greater number of mutations compared to previous variants.
The variability of Pirola symptoms and their severity have not yet been precisely defined. For now, the WHO has not registered any deaths related to this variant.
Also read: Childhood immunization begins to recover after the setback caused by the pandemic, according to the WHO
Although there are many unknowns about this new variant, scientists compare ‘Pirola’ with the impact that ‘Omicron’ had when it emerged at the end of 2021, surpassing the previous variant, ‘Delta’.
However, experts indicate that it is too early to know the behavior of the new variant. ”One possible scenario is that BA.2.86 is less transmissible than current variants and therefore never spread widely. This is the fate of most of the new variants of SARS-CoV-2. However, there is also the possibility of the variant spreading widely. We will have to wait for more data to find out,” explained Jesse Bloom, a professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center specializing in the evolution of viruses, for The New York Times.
Given the increase in cases related to Pirola, the entity recommended continuing to monitor the virus. “WHO continues to call for better surveillance, sequencing and reporting of covid-19 as this virus continues to circulate and evolve,” the entity said in the report.
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