The World Health Organization has revealed the seriousness of the new coronavirus variant scientifically known as "BA.2.86" and informally referred to as "Pirola," which is spreading rapidly worldwide.

Health officials around the world are closely monitoring the "Pirola COVID" strain, which raises concerns among experts due to 34 mutations in the spike protein, the part of the virus that COVID-19 vaccines are designed to target.

For his part, Dr. Amjad Al-Houli, an epidemiology consultant at the World Health Organization, stated in press remarks that the Pirola variant "BA.2.86" is one of the subvariants of Omicron and was first discovered last July, adding that:

This strain is characterized by mutations in several proteins that may give it a greater ability to spread.
However, the available information about this subvariant is still limited to determine its transmission capability, as well as the severity of symptoms and the danger it may pose, and the World Health Organization has classified this strain as "a variant under monitoring."
Therefore, the WHO emphasizes the importance of continuing standard precautionary measures, especially for the most vulnerable groups such as the elderly and patients with chronic diseases, and receiving vaccine doses according to the recommendations of the organization and national health authorities.
The Statens Serum Institute has stated that it is testing the virus to assess whether it poses a threat, but emphasized that there is currently no evidence that "Pirola" causes more severe illness.
Earlier this week, officials from the UK's Health Security Agency confirmed that "it will take several weeks for the virus to grow and confirm its biological characteristics... epidemiological studies cannot be conducted until there are a larger number of cases to include."
It has not been observed that this variant makes individuals more dangerous than other variants derived from Omicron or has any enhanced ability to evade the immune protection provided by current vaccines or previous infections.
Amish Adalja, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, said: "Like other currently monitored variants, BA.2.86 is a descendant of Omicron, but it has 34 mutations from its counterpart BA.2. This number of mutations shows that the variant has evolved significantly, but the number does not necessarily translate to a significant change in behavior."
According to Eric Topol, a leading researcher on COVID-19, these genetic changes in the virus could mask the immune system's ability to recognize and attack the variant, even if the person is vaccinated and even if they have been previously infected.
If BA.2.86 begins to spread widely, the World Health Organization may classify it as a "variant of concern," meaning that the organization will assign it a new name to distinguish it from other Omicron variants.