Yes, There’s a New Covid Variant. No, You Shouldn’t Panic

A new offshoot of Omicron, BA.2.86—nicknamed Pirola—has popped up in Israel, the US, South Africa, and the UK after it was first recorded in Denmark in late July. Pirola initially set off alarm bells because it was spotted in four countries at the same time—and because, having majorly curtailed our viral surveillance systems, we don’t know how long it’s been making the rounds. Plus, the sheer number of mutations it has was reason enough to be spooked—BA.2.86 boasts more than 30 new mutations, compared to the most recently dominant variant, XBB.1.5.

“The only other time we’ve seen such a large genetic shift was the initial transition from Delta to Omicron, which led to the most hospitalizations and the most deaths of any surge in the pandemic,” says Dan Barouch, head of the vaccine research division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. As a result, scientists across the world are scrambling to figure out whether BA.2.86 is indeed something to worry about.

Early studies suggest that Pirola isn’t much better at evading immunity than previous variants, despite all of its mutations. The protection offered by vaccines should hold up, and if you’ve been naturally exposed to the XBB variant, you should be better equipped to fight off this new variant. Why is Pirola not very good at evading immunity, despite having undergone so many mutations? It’s likely that it evolved from BA.2, an older, more familiar form of Sars-CoV-2 that’s no longer circulating today, meaning that Pirola is less resistant to neutralization than more recent variants, such as XBB.1.5. But it’s possible that the variant may continue to evolve and change, Barouch warns, so staying vigilant will be key.