US: CDC Says New COVID-19 Variant Could Cause Infections in Vaccinated People
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated Wednesday the new BA.2.86 COVID-19 lineage may cause infection in people who received vaccines or previously had the virus.
The CDC said it is too soon to know whether this might cause more severe illness compared with previous variants. Due to the high number of mutations detected in this lineage, there were concerns about its impact on immunity from vaccines and previous infections, the agency 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,” the CDC stated in its assessment. “For example, one analysis of mutations suggests the difference may be as large as or greater than that between BA.2 and XBB.1.5, which circulated nearly a year apart.”
But it said that “virus samples are not yet broadly available for more reliable laboratory testing of antibodies, and it is too soon to know the real-world impacts on immunity.”
The agency added that it detected at least two cases with the BA.2.86 variant in the United States, although few other details were provided. It was also found in Israel, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Denmark, the agency said.
One of the BA.2.86 cases was found in a person detected via the CDC’s traveller surveillance system, while it added that cases being found in several countries is evidence of international transmission.
“Notably, the amount of genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 globally has declined substantially from previous years, meaning more variants may emerge and spread undetected for longer periods of time,” according to the assessment. “It is also important to note that the current increase in hospitalisations in the United States is not likely driven by the BA.2.86 variant. This assessment may change as additional data become available.”
The CDC noted that most of the U.S. population has COVID-19 antibodies from a previous infection, vaccination, or both. It’s likely that the antibodies will provide some protection against the variant, said the CDC.
The CDC said on Wednesday the slight recent increase in hospitalisations in the United States is not likely driven by the BA.2.86 lineage.
Based on an analysis of the mutations to the new virus, the CDC stated that COVID-19 tests and antiviral drugs are likely still going to work against it. “At this time, we don’t know how well this variant spreads, but we know that it spreads in the same way as other variants,” the CDC said.
