Rise of COVID-19 variants: After Eris, Fornax and Pirola emergeRise of COVID-19 variants: After Eris, Fornax and Pirola emerge

Health officials globally are keeping track of new COVID-19 variants, which reportedly have several mutations. The World Health Organisation (WHO) designated a new lineage, known as BA.2.86, as a "variant under monitoring" last week.

BA.2.86, which is being referred to as "Pirola", went on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) watch list last Thursday after being added to the WHO's SARS-CoV-2 variant monitoring list. However, there has been a low number of officially reported cases of this variant. It has been identified in Denmark, the UK, the US, and Israel, and there is no evidence that it spreads quickly or results in more severe sickness.

New COVID-19 mutations

Reports have highlighted that the origins of BA.2.86 differ from the variation targeted by current vaccines because it is generated from an "earlier branch" of the Coronavirus. Meanwhile, the CDC has revealed that another strain, FL.1.5.1, is the second-most common strain in the US, accounting for 13.3 per cent of cases. The number of circulating variants thought to be FL.1.5.1, also known as "Fornax," has nearly doubled from the previous week. Given that they both carry the F456L mutation and have descended from the same XBB variant, EG.5 or Eris and FL.1.5.1 appear to be spreading more quickly.

Related: COVID variant Eris raises concerns as health officials monitor potential threat

Although BA.2.86 has descended from a different Omicron variant and has been conclusively linked to seven cases of COVID-19 worldwide (at the time of writing), experts believe it may be more common. Due to the numerous mutations these variants carry, scientists are particularly worried about it.

The spike protein, which the virus uses to infect human cells and which our immune systems use to identify it, has undergone several mutations. WHO has urged countries to continue COVID-19 surveillance and sequencing but has stated that there is "limited information available right now" on BA.2.86.

Related: Latest COVID spike raises alarm: What's next?

The news of BA.2.86 and FL.1.5.1 comes days after the COVID-19 variant EG.5 swept across the globe. According to health officials, the rapidly spreading variant, also known as Eris, was claimed to be the dominant strain circulating in the US, with a high number of cases and hospitalisations. EG.5 was designated as a "variant of interest" by WHO because its prevalence has increased in contrast to other variations. A little over 20 per cent of COVID-19 cases in the US were linked to EG.5 at the end of the third week of August, more than any other strain, according to estimates from the CDC. 

Get the latest insights from the healthcare industry straight to your inbox. Subscribe for a bi-weekly roundup of the latest healthcare tech, trends, innovation and patient experience, accompanied by exclusive interviews from the industry’s leaders.