BA.2.86: Should Indians be Concerned About This New COVID Variant? Here’s All You Need to Know

BA.2.86 is a subvariant of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. According to WHO, there are only 4 cases detected in different countries, but is India the next on radar?

COVID infections and hospitalizations have been rising in US, Europe and Asia, with more cases in recent months. After EG.5 raised concerns about a new COVID outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) has now monitored another sub-variant of Omicron BA.2.86, dubbed BA.X. After the detection of just three cases WHO declared it a variant under monitoring (VUM) and and also called for a closer monitoring to understand its spread and severity.

“WHO has designated Covid-19 variant BA.2.86 as a ‘variant under monitoring’ today due to the large number of mutations it carries,” the global health body wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter),” adding that “the number of mutations warrants attention.”

BA.2.86: 4 Countries on Alarming Rate

BA.2.86 is a subvariant of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. According to WHO, there are only four known sequences of the BA.2.86, and the United Nations health agency pointed out that the potential impact of the variant’s mutations is presently unknown and undergoing careful assessment.

There are only 4 countries that so far detected just five cases -Denmark (2), Israel (1), the US (1), and the UK (1). UK apparently detected its first case of BA.2.86 on Friday. In a statement, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said, “There is currently one confirmed case in the UK in an individual with no recent travel history, which suggests a degree of community transmission within the UK.” Indian has not yet detected any case as per the information.

Is India on Radar?

Well, there has been no case detected in India so far. More research is required to understand the full implications of this new COVID variant. Indians should not be concerned yet but must take proper precautions, regardless of the variant circulating. These precautions include wearing masks, keeping proper sanitization, staying home if you are sick, getting vaccinated and boosted.

There is no major evidence to suspect whether BA.2.86 will be more transmissible or cause more severe disease than other omicron subvariants.