![]() When asked if some form of guidance should be introduced to care homes to protect residents from the BA.2.86 variant, Professor Hopkins said: "There are pros and cons to doing that. Over-65s, frontline health workers, people with immunosuppression and those in clinical risk groups are among those who can get the jab.Īre rules seen in lockdown likely to be reintroduced? The rollout of vaccines was brought forward due to concerns about a new variant, and from 11 September high-risk groups will start getting a seasonal booster.īut there's strict criteria for who is eligible. All cases of the variant have been discovered through the regular tests that you can pick up at a local pharmacy. ![]() The good news, she added, is that the vast majority of these infections are still likely to be mild - and there is no evidence so far to suggest this variant is more severe than previous ones.Ĭan lateral flow or PCR tests detect the new BA.2.86 variant? While it is not yet known whether BA.2.86 is more infectious or more severe than the most common COVID strains, professor Hopkins has said it is likely to evade immunity more effectively than other variants. "We're highlighting 34 cases in England that have been identified - 28 cases are from a single cluster in a care home, and that's showing that we are seeing some high attack rates in individuals with vulnerabilities." " has a high amount of mutations compared to what was circulating in the past. Professor Hopkins has said the UKHSA is "more concerned" about the new BA.2.86 variant than the increase in overall COVID cases. Other variants include EG.5, also known as EG.5.1 or Eris, which has been reported in 51 countries, and BA.6, unofficially dubbed Pi, which has been detected in Denmark and Israel.Īuthorities 'more concerned' about BA.2.86 than number of infections "Having changed their shape, they may become more infectious, they may become more disease-causing," Dr Bharat Pankhania, an infectious disease control expert from the University of Exeter, told Sky News. We're yet to see what the mutations mean for the variant's ability to make people sick. The reason scientists concerned are its high number of mutations: 34 to be exact. The variant prompted the acceleration of the vaccine programme. Nicknamed Pirola, it was first detected in the UK in mid-August, when the UKHSA said it could already be causing "significant community transmission". What are the latest variants circulating?īA.2.86 is the most concerning variant since Omicron emerged, NHS officials have said, with a cluster of infections found in a care home in the UK.
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