The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that they have identified a new and highly-mutated strain of the COVID-19 virus, a variant known as BA.2.86 which has now been dubbed "Pirola."
CDC officials have expressed concern that Pirola may prove to be highly contagious and could result in an uptick of hospitalizations amid a series of new, breakthrough infections.
So far, the Pirola variant has been detected in patients in Michigan, Virginia, and Ohio, according to the CDC in a statement, and researchers are already accounting for this new and potent strain in current vaccine production.
"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 statement reads. "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."
The CDC noted that while Pirola may result in a jump in the number of reported infections, so far the resulting cases of COVID-19 are not proving to display any additional degree of severity in terms of symptoms when compared to previous variants.
"At this point, there is no evidence that this variant is causing more severe illness," the CDC said. "That assessment may change as additional scientific data are developed. CDC will share more as we know more."
Pirola was initially discovered in Israel, with additional cases being reported in countries such as Denmark, United Kingdom, South Africa, and now the United States; the initial case detected here was from a woman who had recently returned from visiting Japan.
Currently, Pirola is considered an offshoot of the Omicron COVID-19 variant by the World Health Organization (WHO), although research is ongoing and more information on the new strain is expected to be delivered later this week.