New Covid variant causing concern among scientists detected in London | Coronavirus

A new Covid variant that is causing concern among scientists due to its large number of mutations has been detected in London.

The variant, dubbed BA.2.86, has been detected through genetic sequencing, although only a handful of such sequences have so far been reported. The first was reported in Israel, with the variant since being detected in Denmark and the US.

Now UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed the variant has been detected in the UK, making it the fifth such sequence worldwide to be reported.

“We are aware that BA.2.86 has been detected in the UK. UKHSA is assessing the situation and will provide further information in due course,” said Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at UKHSA.

The World Health Organisation announced on Thursday that it was designating it a “variant under monitoring” – while the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has similarly reported that it is keeping a close eye on the variant after it was discovered in Michigan.

It is currently unclear whether the variant causes more severe disease than those that came before, or whether it will take off and become the dominant form of the virus.

But its many genetic changes – it has more than 30 mutations in the spike protein relative to the current predominant variant – and its detection in several countries, has put scientists on alert.

Prof Francois Balloux, director of the UCL Genetics Institute, said BA.2.86 was the most striking Covid strain the world has witnessed since the emergence of Omicron.

“The most plausible scenario is that the lineage acquired its mutations during a long-term infection in a immunocompromised person over a year ago and then spread back into the community,” he said.

“BA.2.86 has since then probably been circulating in a region of the world with poor viral surveillance, and has now been repeatedly exported to other places in the world.”

Balloux added that how well the new variant fared relative to other Omicron subvariants would become clearer in the coming weeks.

“Nothing is known at this stage about its intrinsic transmissibility and virulence,” he said.

“A priori, it is not expected to behave differently from current Omicron strains in circulation. Even in the worst case scenario where BA.2.86 caused a major new wave of cases, we are not expecting to witness comparable levels of severe disease and death as we did earlier in the pandemic when the Alpha, Delta or Omicron variants spread,” he added noting most people have now been vaccinated, infected with Covid, or both.

But, he said: “It remains that a large wave of infection by BA.2.86, or any future comparable variant, would be an unwelcome event.”

Prof Tom Wenseleers, an evolutionary biologist at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, agreed.

“I would be very surprised if the high levels of population immunity would not keep on protecting us well against severe disease,” he said. “But all in all I would say it is relatively likely that this variant might cause an infection wave, even though right now it is impossible to say exactly how large, and also what the impact on hospitalisations will be.”

Prof Rowland Kao, an epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh, said the appearance of a potential new variant of concern was not a surprise. “But,” he added, “ it doesn’t mean we are well prepared for it now.”

Among other issues, Kao said Covid appears to be on the rise once more, with hospitalisations also increasing. That, he added, was without evidence the new variant was a factor.

“We should expect that the usual combination of autumn return to school and university and work play a part, as well as possibly the seasonal factors,” said Kao. “Plus the bulk of vaccinations have now been some time ago, and even the most vulnerable are likely approaching the point where immune protection is fading.”

BA.2.86, Kao said, could potentially add to the pressures, noting that one worry was whether the variant would evade past immune protection and was sufficiently different as to make vaccines less effective.

“There is a good chance we are in for a bumpy ride, which will only be bumpier if this variant presents any added twists,” he said.