#17,623
Over the past 3 days a newly discovered COVID variant, BA.2.86 has made headlines, sporting no less than 30 mutations in its spike protein. First reported in July, only 3 cases (2 in Denmark, 1 in Israel) had been reported.
But over the past 24 hours the United States and the UK have both reported cases, and Denmark has now reported a 3rd case. Detection in 4 countries suggests this virus has been spreading, under the radar, for some time.
The (translated) statement from Denmark's SSI follows:
The CDC should updated their COVID Nowcast today, but it may take some time before enough cases are detected for BA.2.86 to register.
Three cases of BA.2.86 have been detected in Denmark
Statens Serum Institut has detected another case of the new subvariant of omicron, B.2.86.
Updated 18 August 2023
A new corona variant, which has been named BA.2.86, was found in Denmark this week, and now Statens Serum Institut (SSI) has detected another case. Isolated cases with the same variant have also been detected in Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The subvariant differs significantly from the other omicron variants that have been seen in the past, and it is designated as ‘Variant under monitoring’ by the WHO.
"It is unusual for corona to change so significantly and develop 30 new mutations. The last time we saw such a big change was when omicron appeared", says senior researcher at SSI, Morten Rasmussen.
The three cases in Denmark are from different parts of the country, and do not appear to have had contact with each other.
SSI grows viruses and analyzes vaccine efficacy
It is still too early to say anything about the severity and contagiousness of the new variant. SSI is in the process of researching and growing the virus variant to test it against antibodies.
"It is clear that we react when we see something completely new, that is the job. But none of the three preliminary cases have had symptoms other than those normally seen in the course of covid-19. We also have a strong expectation that the vaccines - also with this variant - will provide good protection against serious disease", says Tyra Grove Krause, Executive Vice President for Epidemiological Infectious Disease Preparedness, SSI.
There is a lot of international attention to the findings, and therefore SSI continuously shares information about the cases detected in Denmark with the international researchers and health authorities.
Read more about the virus variant BA.2.86
Overnight the CDC posted the following on Twitter/X.
