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The BA.2.86 strain, now known as Pirola, has been identified in three states: Michigan, Virginia, and Ohio. The Michigan case, the first in the US, was an older woman who had recently returned from Japan.
"BA.2.86 may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines," the CDC said in a Risk Assessment Summary. "Scientists are evaluating the effectiveness of the forthcoming, updated COVID-19 vaccine.
"CDC’s current assessment is that this updated vaccine will be effective at reducing severe disease and hospitalization.
"At this point, there is no evidence that this variant is causing more severe illness. That assessment may change as additional scientific data are developed. CDC will share more as we know more."
At a World Health Organization (WHO) news briefing on Friday, Aug. 25, authorities said they consider BA.2.86 to be part of the Omicron variant family, but that could change if the strain spreads more widely even though Pirola's 30 mutations are from the BA.2 lineage, which was the dominant Omicron strain in 2022.
More data on the strain is expected later this week.
The Pirola strain was first detected in Israel, and cases have also been identified in several other countries, including the US, United Kingdom, South Africa, and Denmark.
Currently, a new Omicron subvariant known as Eris, whose official name is EG.5, is accounting for most COVID cases nationwide, just ahead of the XBB.1.16 strain, according to estimates by the CDC.Arcturus is also an offshoot of the highly-contagious Omicron strain.
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