What You Need to Know About COVID-19 Variant BA.2.86 Nicknamed ‘Pirola’
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Several public health organizations are monitoring a new COVID-19 variant.
The latest variant, BA.2.86, nicknamed Pirola, has several mutations to its spike protein.
There have only been 71 cases detected worldwide so far.
COVID-19 variant EG.5 just became the most common variant in the U.S., but public health officials are already talking about another variant. It’s called BA.2.86, nicknamed “Pirola,” and officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say they’re “gathering information” on it.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also added BA.2.86 to its list of “currently circulating variants under monitoring,” raising a lot of questions about what Pirola is and how concerned people should be about it. Here’s what you need to know as COVID-19 cases continue.
What is COVID variant BA.2.86, dubbed “Pirola?”
BA.2.86, a.k.a. Pirola, is a new subvariant of Omicron that’s been detected in select locations around the world. According to the WHO, it was first sequenced on July 24.
Pirola is a descendent of BA.2, according to an analysis from the Bloom lab, which studies the evolution of viruses and proteins. It has a lot of mutations: There are 34 mutations in the spike protein of BA.2.86—which the virus uses to infect a person’s cells—from BA.2, Bloom lab says.
Why do people care about this particular variant? It has a lot of changes, with Bloom noting that it has “many spike amino-acid mutations relative to its BA.2 parent, and is an evolutionary jump similar in size to that which originally gave rise to Omicron.” Meaning that it’s another, potentially substantial, mutation of the novel coronavirus.
BA.2.86 symptoms
There have only been 71 cases of BA.2.86 detected so far, making it tough to make too many conclusions about symptoms. However, infectious disease doctors say signs of the illness are not wildly different from previous versions of the virus. “The symptoms would be the same as with any other version of SARS-CoV-2,” says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
According to the CDC, those may include:
Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
Where is BA.2.86 spreading?
Again, as of press time, there have only been 71 cases of BA.2.86 detected in the entire world. However, these cases have been relatively spread out. “It has been identified in several sequence samples on different continents,” Dr. Adalja says.
Global virus database GISAID says the countries that have detected the most number of Pirola cases so far include South Africa (16), Denmark (12), United Kingdom (8), France (6), and the USA (6), with a handful of other countries with even less numbers.
It’s important to note that the WHO Public Health Emergency of International Concern ended in May and the U.S. Public Health Emergency’s genomic sequencing and testing have been reduced, potentially creating a lag in reporting.
How contagious is BA.2.86?
It’s tricky to say at this point. “It is unclear whether it has a transmission advantage at this point or what its ultimate trajectory will be,” Dr. Adalja says.
An analysis from the Bloom Lab found that there are 34 mutations in the spike protein—which the virus uses to infect a person’s cells—from BA.2.
“At this point, we don’t know for sure if it’s going to result in an increased number of cases,” says Thomas Russo, M.D., a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York. But when a virus mutates substantially, the possibility that it will evade existing protection from prior infection or vaccine increases. This is one reason why COVID boosters continue to evolve alongside the virus.
With that being said, new research from US lab tests suggest that BA.2.86 may be less contagious and less immune-evasive than originally feared. The researchers found that antibodies from previous infections and vaccinations appear capable of neutralizing the new variant, meaning BA.2.86 doesn't look like it’s any better than any of the other variants at evading the immune system. In fact, it appears to be even less adept at escaping from antibodies and less efficient at infecting cells than other variants.
Is there a vaccine booster for BA.2.86?
So, per the latest research, it looks like this fall’s upcoming round of boosters should hold up against BA.2.86 for the most part.
According to the most recent US lab tests, people who had the most robust responses against BA.2.86 were those who were within six months of an infection with the XBB subvariant. This suggests that this fall’s updated Covid-19 vaccines, which are designed to fight off XBB.1.5, will provide added protection against a range of circulating Covid-19 lineages, including BA.2.86.
That is to say that getting your booster this fall and staying up to date with all immunizations is still your best bet at preventing severe infection and post-COVID complications.
In addition to getting all your shots, diligent handwashing, and wearing a well-fitted Kn95 or N95 mask, and staying up to date with COVID boosters will help protect against the virus.
Should I be worried?
Although this variant has a higher number of mutations than some previous strains, case numbers are still low and all signs point to our vaccines holding up against BA.2.86. Moreover, per the CDC as of press time, BA.2.86 is still classified as a variant being monitored—and not a variant of concern. Still, time will tell how much this strain will spread, so keep taking preventative measures (ie. getting your shot, wearing a mask in public, washing your hands) to protect yourself and others.
This article is accurate as of press time. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly evolves and the scientific community’s understanding of the novel coronavirus develops, some of the information may have changed since it was last updated. While we aim to keep all of our stories up to date, please visit online resources provided by the CDC, WHO, and your local public health department to stay informed on the latest news. Always talk to your doctor for professional medical advice.
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