This latest COVID variant could be the best yet at evading immunity
BA.2.86 stands out in the omicron family tree because of how much it has morphed. It has more than 30 mutations on its spike protein.
A highly mutated form of the coronavirus that threatens to be the most adept yet at slipping past the body’s immune defences is capturing the attention of virologists and health officials.
While only about a dozen cases of the new BA.2.86 – or “Pirola” – variant have been reported worldwide, including three in the United States, experts say this variant requires intense monitoring and vigilance that many of its predecessors did not. That’s because it has even greater potential to escape the antibodies that protect people from getting sick, even if you’ve recently been infected or vaccinated.
Washington Post
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