Explainer-Eris, BA.2.86: Do I need to worry about COVID again?
- The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are tracking a new, highly mutated lineage of the virus that causes COVID-19.
So far there is no evidence that BA.2.86 spreads faster or causes more serious illness than previous versions. The CDC said its advice on protecting yourself from COVID remains the same.COVID infections and hospitalizations have been rising in the U.S., Europe and Asia, with more cases in recent months attributed to the EG.5"Eris" subvariant, a descendant of the Omicron lineage that originally emerged in November 2021.
He said it remains to be seen whether BA.2.86 will be able to out-compete other strains of the virus or have any advantage in escaping immune responses from prior infection or vaccination. Its many mutations make BA.2.86"radically different in its structure" compared to earlier variants, Topol said.Do the new variants make people sicker?