2023-08-23 13:08:28 ET
The CDC is warning that a COVID-19 variant that recently hit the map, BA.2.86, could infect individuals even if they got COVID vaccines or came down with the virus before.
BA.2.86, also known as Pirola, was recently named as a "variant under monitoring" by the World Health Organization because of the large number of mutations associated with it.
The CDC noted that it is too early to determine if BA.2.86 causes more severe illness compared to other variants, Reuters reported.
So far, BA.2.86 has only been identified in the US, UK, Denmark, and Israel, according to the GISAID Initiative .
According to the latest CDC data , EG.5 is the most dominant strain in the US accounting for 20.6% of cases as of Aug. 19. And based on data through the week ended Aug. 12, COVID hospitalizations have risen 21.6% compared to the prior week
The renewed attention to COVID comes as makers of COVID shots, including Moderna ( NASDAQ: MRNA ), Pfizer ( NYSE: PFE )/BioNTech ( NASDAQ: BNTX ), and Novavax ( NASDAQ: NVAX ) are slated to rollout new boosters in September .
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For further details see:
New COVID variant can cause infection in those previously vaccinated - CDC