In the statement made by UKHSA, it was stated that the new variant, which emerged as a subtype of the Omicron variant, was seen in a person who has not had a recent travel history.
In the statement, it was stated that “BA.2.86” is more genomically distant from Omicron and has a higher number of mutations with the variants already found.
UKHSA Vice-President Meera Chand said: “There is one confirmed case in the UK. UKHSA is currently conducting a detailed assessment and will provide more information when the time comes. UKHSA will continue to monitor the situation closely and will publish analysis results as they become available.” she said.
‘VARIANT UNDER OBSERVATION’
The World Health Organization, in a statement yesterday, updated the status of the variant, which was announced as BA.2.86, as “variant under observation” due to the large number of mutations it carries.
Stating that reports have been sent from a few countries yet, WHO also stated that there are currently 3 variants in the “need to watch” category and 7 variants in the “under observation” category. (AA)