2023-11-17 19:56:00
the essentials The BA.2.86 variant, also known as “Pirola”, seems to be gaining ground in France: it represents at least 13% of cases that have been recorded in the country according to the health authorities. This might soon become the dominant variant in France.
It has been two and a half months since the BA.2.86 variant – better known as “Pirola” – has been installed in France but in recent weeks, this new strain of Covid-19 might suddenly be gaining ground. In a bulletin updated on November 13, Public Health thus states that the variant was present in 13% of cases which were sequenced during the week of October 23. During the previous week, only 9% of the cases recorded were related to BA.2.86. The phenomenon intrigues scientists all the more as it is observed “almost everywhere in the world”, explains Santé Publique France.
The variant #Omicron BA.2.86 (known as “Pirola”) ended up making significant progress in France: 13% of cases sequenced on October 23, undoubtedly much more today.
This growth is mainly “carried” by its JN.1 sublineage.
Beginnings of an epidemic resumption? u2935ufe0f
1/7 pic.twitter.com/YBZCc5BaLO
— Nicolas Berrod (@nicolasberrod) November 17, 2023
How to explain it? According to the health authorities, it is above all the fault of one of the six sub-lineages of the “Pirola” variant, soberly called JN.1. JN.1 is progressing at lightning speed in France and now represents 10% of cases that have been recorded. This also seems to be spreading “in other countries”. The case of Iceland is striking: there, the “detection of JN.1 has increased from 2 to 50% since mid-October,” explains Santé Publique France. According to health authorities, this sub-lineage would contribute to permanently establishing the “Pirola” variant in the viral landscape of France.
New mutations
What are the risks for the health situation in France? A few weeks before winter, Covid-19 will – it seems – make a comeback in France, it being a seasonal virus. “This is explained by physical factors, Covid is an enveloped type virus, it is not very resistant to UV, it stays longer in the air and is therefore infectious for longer when it is cold and humid,” commented François Bailloux, director of the London Institute of Genetics, in our columns last Tuesday, November 14.
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Covid-19: the explosion in the number of cases this fall is a surprise… why the virus is making a comeback
In this context, it might therefore be carried by the “Pirola” variant. The BA.2.86 variant and its sub-lineages arouse so much interest within the scientific community because it presents a “large number of mutations” in its Spike protein, the key which allows the virus to to penetrate the cells of our body. These mutations were a source of “concerns regarding its potential immune escape and the effectiveness of vaccines” explains Santé Publique France. On this subject, the JN.1 sublineage also gives scientists a few additional gray hairs: it presents a new mutation on its Spike protein, entitled “L455S”.
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Covid-19: eye irritation, skin problems, diarrhea… the “Pirola” variant present in France causing new symptoms
Under this number, many mysteries: this mutation “has only been detected so far at low levels and we do not have precise data on its potential impact on public health”, indicate the health authorities, if not As for the symptoms: JN.1 might cause more loss of smell. Santé Publique France, however, wants to be reassuring: “At this stage, nothing indicates that JN.1 has characteristics different from the other sub-lineages of BA.2.86”. However, scientists insist on the need to continue and develop the detection of SARS-CoV-2 mutations in a context where the immunity of vulnerable patients will decline during this winter period.
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