More cases of rapidly-mutating ‘Pirola’ Covid variant found in UK as virus continues spread.
The National Health Service (NHS) on Thursday warned the people of Britain to be on the lookout for the new Pirola Covid variant amid concerns it might unleash a new wave of illnesses. According to a new World Health Organisation (WHO) risk assessment, a new COVID-19 strain BA.2.86, nicknamed Pirola, is getting more people infected in several parts of the world. As per reports, the first case of BA.2.86 aka Pirola variant was detected through PCR testing from a sample that was collected on August 16.
The virus hasn’t officially been confirmed as a ‘variant of concern’ by the UK’s health watchdog, but it’s caused concern among scientists over its high number of mutations. As per studies, the new variant BA.2.86 has as many changes as Omicron had from the Delta variant of coronavirus.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that it is investigating the new variety. After the emergency of the BA.2.86 coronavirus strain, it had earlier accelerated the Covid fall vaccine programme and the flu shot for this year.
Highly Mutated New COVID Variant Pirola Enters UK, Experts Warn of Fourth Wave
Pirola or BA.2.86 was first identified on 24 July 2023. Studies show that this new variant has at least 35 new mutations that set it apart from previously known prevalent Covid variants. Currently, UK along with US, and China is witnessing a rise in coronavirus cases. Most of these new cases are being triggered by the Pirola variant. Let us understand this variant and the symptoms that the patients are experiencing.
What Is Pirola COVID Variant?
Since 2020, the year when coronavirus was first detected in China, the virus has been mutating, leading to the formation of new variants. From deadly delta to Omircon, the world has battled many variants of this virus. But at the moment, the experts are on alert over another highly mutated version of COVID-19 — the Pirola variant.
BA.2.86 (nicknamed ‘Pirola’ on social media) has been reported in the United Kingdom, United States and some other nations. The WHO’s SARS-CoV-2 variant monitoring list included it, while the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) included it in its watch list after claiming that it was extensively modified compared to more recent versions.
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What is concerning about this new variant is the presence of some extra mutations. In a report, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the BA.2.86 variant has a large number of mutations, and it may be able to bypass immunity from the vaccine or recent infection with a different variant.
Talking about the symptoms associated with the BA.2.86 variant, the experts said that signs of infection are the same as any other variants of COVID. This includes – fever, cough, persistent headache, muscle cramps, nose congestion, sore throat and irritation.
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