2023-08-18 06:53:22
The World Health Organization and US health authorities announced on Friday that they are closely monitoring a new variant of the Covid-19 virus, even if “for the time being the potential impact of the many mutations of c are unknown“.
The WHO has decided to classify a new variant “in the category of variants under surveillance because of the very large number (greater than 30) of mutations of the Spike gene that it carries“, writes the organization in its epidemiological bulletin devoted to the Covid-19 pandemic and broadcast overnight from Thursday to Friday.
It is the Spike protein that gives the virus its spiky appearance and is what allows SARS-CoV-2 to enter host cells.
Detected in Israel, Denmark and the United States
So far, this new variant has only been detected in Israel, Denmark and the United States.
In the latter, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) also indicated that they are closely monitoring the variant, in a message published on the social network X (ex-Twitter).
Currently, only four known sequences of this variant have been reported, with no known associated epidemiological link, explains the WHO.
“The potential impact of BA.2.86 mutations are currently unknown and under careful evaluation“, specifies the organization, which once once more underlines the importance of continuing to monitor, sequence and notify the competent authorities to have an accurate and comprehensive view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The WHO is currently tracking three variants of interest (XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16 and EG.5) and seven variants are classified under surveillance (BA.2.75, BA.2.86, CH.1.1, XBB, XBB.1.9.1 , XBB.1.9.2 and XBB.2.3).
Most of the states that had put in place specific surveillance systems for the presence of the Covid-19 virus and its variants have generally dismantled them, believing that the threat was now less severe and no longer justified these expenses.
The WHO has constantly denounced this “disarmament” and carry on “to call for better monitoring, sequencing and reporting of Covid-19 as this virus continues to circulate and evolve“.
If, since the beginning of May, the WHO no longer considers the pandemic a global health emergency, “the virus continues to circulate in all countries, continues to kill and continues to change“, underlined once more last week its general manager Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
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