Will the new COVID variant play a part in the 2024 US general elections? WHO and the CDC are keeping an eye on the emerging variant and while admitting people who had that last variants are expected to be immune, it might trigger a new round of mandated lock-downs.
The World Health Organization and U.S. health authorities are closely monitoring a new variant of COVID-19 called BA.2.86 due to the large number of spike gene mutations it carries. The variant has been detected in Israel, Denmark, and the United States. The potential impact of the mutations is currently unknown and being carefully assessed.
The BA.2.86 variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is being closely watched by experts due to its significant impact and resemblance to the Omicron variant. It is expected that the coming weeks will shed more light on how this variant compares to other sub-variants of Omicron.
The BA.2.86 variant is not expected to cause the same level of severe illness or death as previous variants. With a global majority having been vaccinated or infected, immune memory is expected to be effective in controlling the infection. The World Health Organization is monitoring multiple variants.
Most countries that had established surveillance systems for the virus have since dismantled operations, determining it is no longer as severe and therefore could not justify the expense — a move the WHO has denounced, calling instead for stronger monitoring.
In the recent reporting period, over 1.4 million new COVID-19 cases were identified, resulting in over 2,300 deaths. The global tally stands at more than 769 million confirmed cases and over 6.9 million deaths, with the actual numbers likely higher due to under reporting.
George Eliason
