VARIANT BA.2.86 COVID. Mainly detected in Spain and in isolation in other countries including France (Grand Est), the new variant of Covid “Pirola” (BA.2.86) worries the WHO. It would present 40 mutations, including 2 making it more transmissible.
A few weeks after the Eris sub-variant revives the fear of an epidemic resumption of the Covid, in particular in France, the WHO has placed under surveillance a new variant of the Covid carrying many mutations, the BA.2.86 – nicknamed variant Pirola probably due to an asteroid discovered in Galicia – which once again underlines the need for all countries to continue monitoring activitiescould be heard on August 18, 2023 during WHO Director-General’s speech at the G20 health ministers meeting. On August 31, 2023, a first case of infection was reported in France in the Gisaid variant tracking database. It concerns a person tested on August 21 in Aube (Grand Est Region). For the moment, this new sub-variant of Omicron has been detected in less than ten countriesand especially in Catalonia in Spain. But with his 40 significant mutationsit could develop at great speed.
What is the Pirola variant?
Pirola is the given nickname BA.2.86, a subvariant of BA.2itself a subvariant ofOmicron who is a variant of the original Covid strain. The first case of infection was reportedly detected in Denmark on July 24, then several other cases were reported, notably in Catalonia (Spain) on August 15. On August 18, the World Health Organization placed him under supervision (VUM).
What are the symptoms of the Pirola variant?
“According to the few data available, when symptomatic, the symptoms of the Pirola variant resemble those of influenza with a fever of 38°C for a few days, a severe cold and headache. But like the last variants that appeared, the majority of cases are rather characterized by asymptomatic“, explain the researchers.
Why is it “different” from other variants? More dangerous ?
According to a study co-carried out by Massimo Ciccozzi, director of the Molecular Statistics and Epidemiology Unit of the Bio-Medical Campus of Rome and published in the Journal of Medical Virologythe Pirola variant would exhibit “a significant number of 40 mutations that could allow the virus to evade the immune response” (much more than its predecessor the BA.2) but among them, “two are to be checked in particular on the Spike protein (which plays a crucial role in infections and in the immune response) because they could make it more transmissible“, insist the authors. One of the two mutations is reminiscent of the one present on the original Wuhan strain and the other looks like Delta variant. If this study is based on the few sequencing available so far, there is currently “no indication to consider this as a new variant of significant concern“, conclude the researchers. More data is needed to understand whether this variant would be more dangerous or not.
Why the name “Pirola”?
Several months ago, the WHO stopped using Greek letters to define Omicron subvariants. If the official name is BA.2.86, it is called in common parlance”Pirola“, like other subvariants that are dubbed Triton, Centaur, Kraken, Arturo or Eris. If the reasons for this nickname have not been officially revealed, it seems that Pirola refers in the name of an asteroid discovered in 1927, in Galiciabut it is also used colloquially in Spain to refer to the male reproductive system, reports the Spanish newspaper El Periodico.
In which countries has the Pirola variant been detected? In France ?
As of August 31, 2023, it would have been detected in isolation in ten countries : mainly in Catalonia (Spain), but also at Denmarkin South Africato UNITED STATESAt CanadaAt Portugalin Israel and at United Kingdomaccording to the official GISAID variant tracker. France has so far only recorded one case of infection.. This positive sample passed to sequencing, in other words the complete analysis of the genome, dates from August 21 and concerns a person tested in the Aube department (Grand Est region).