Is COVID Making A Comeback? Canada Detects First Case of Highly Mutated Coronavirus Variant BA.2.86

Canada has identified its first case of coronavirus infection involving the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant of Omicron. Read on to know the signs and symptoms that this variant can cause.

The worst virus outbreak in human history is once again wreaking havoc globally. Amid high speculation about a possible outbreak of another COVID wave, Canada on Tuesday confirmed that they have detected the first case of coronavirus infection from the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant of Omicron. According to the reports, the patient is a British Columbian who had not travelled outside the Pacific province. “The infected patient is not hospitalized, and the detection of BA.2.86 virus has not changed the risk to people in British Columbia”, the province’s top doctor, Bonnie Henry, and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement.

The newly detected BA.2.86 lineage of Omicron was first detected in Denmark last month. As per experts, BA.2.86 carries more than 35 mutations in key portions of the virus compared with XBB.1.5, the dominant variant through most of 2023. The United States, Switzerland and Israel have also recorded cases of the new variant. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mentioned last week that the BA.2.86 variant might possess a greater capability to cause infections in individuals who had previous COVID-19 infections or had received preventive vaccines.

Let’s learn more about this new variant, its unusual features and what makes it so lethal in nature.

What Is BA.2.86 Variant of COVID-19?

Coronavirus has been changing and evolving ever since it was first discovered in the year 2019 and became a global concern in a matter of few months. In the last three years, the world has seen the rise and fall of many strains of this virus. Some of the worst ones were – Delta and Omicron. These two had led to the massive COVID waves in major countries of the world, including India. One of the recent variants that has been discovered is BA 2.86. Also known by the name Pirola, this newly detected COVID variant that has been increasing cases in the US, UK, China and other countries, seems to have as many changes as Omicron had from Delta.

The BA2.86 variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly because it has a lot of 35 new mutations that set it apart from previously known prevalent Covid variants. It has around 30 genetic changes from its parent which is the B82 variant. These changes in its spike protein make the BA 2.86 variant contagious and lethal. However, experts have stated that those who are fully vaccinated are safe from suffering the severity of the virus infection if they get infected.