Should we be worried about the new variant of Covid-19, “Pirola”? This member of the Omicron family, scientific name BA.2.86, was detected on August 31 in France. It is particularly scrutinized due to a “greater number of mutations”, making it “likely to evolve more significantly and spread more easily”, the president of the Monitoring and Anticipation Committee specified in August. health risks (Covars), Brigitte Autran.
Before its arrival in France, this variant had so far been detected in several countries, including the United States, Denmark and Israel. The WHO has decided to classify this new variant in the category of variants under surveillance due to the very large number of mutations in the Spike gene that it carries. It is the Spike protein which gives the virus its spiky appearance and it is this which allows SARS-CoV-2 to penetrate the host’s cells.
“This variant presents very significant modifications to its genome, with more than 100 mutations in total, including around thirty on the Spike protein,” virologist Bruno Lina, head of department at the Hospices Civils de Lyon and Lyon, told Express at the end of August. member of the Health Risk Monitoring and Anticipation Committee.
Eye irritation and rash
People who have contracted the Pirola variant may have flu-like symptoms with a fever of 38°C for a few days, a severe cold and headaches. One of its particularities is its clear asymptomaticity, making its detection very complicated.
The other particularity of this variant can manifest itself… on the skin. Asked by the Daily Express, Dr Johannes Uys of Broadgate General Practice (UK) explains that, “unlike most previous variants, Pirola can cause visible facial symptoms such as eye irritation and rash.” These new symptoms were found in people who caught this Omicron variant, he specifies.
Besides skin rashes and eye irritation, medical reports also suggest that patients with Pirola suffer from diarrhea. According to Dr. Nighat Arif, interviewed by the Daily Express, with Pirola, “we know that not only do you have fever, runny nose, headache and still this loss of smell but we also know that you could have diarrhea.” Stomach cramps may also occur with the Pirola strain, she says.
“We see people who feel broken”
Dr. Nighat Arif also warned of a specific symptom that constitutes a “significant part” of the Pirola variant: fatigue. “We see people who feel broken,” she emphasizes. She says that in the majority of cases, Pirola is “not serious enough” to require hospitalization. She also warns that vaccines and previous infections against Covid-19 may no longer offer the same level of protection as before.
Despite the appearance of new symptoms, Dr Johannes Uys explains for his part that Pirola is no more dangerous than other versions of the virus. “In fact, your chances of getting seriously ill are about the same, and most people make a full recovery with time and rest,” he says. at the Daily Express.
Even if BA.2.86 caused a major spike in infections, “we do not expect to see comparable levels of severe illness and death to what we did earlier in the pandemic when the Alpha, Delta or Omicron have spread,” François Balloux, who heads the chair of bioinformatics at University College London, commented to AFP in August.