Health organizations in Europe and the United States are keeping an eye on a new strain of COVID-19 that has emerged in South Africa.
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Variant Designation
The variant is designated as “under monitoring” by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also announced it is tracking the variant labeled BA.2.87.1.
Concerns Over Spread
A number of BA.2.87.1 cases have been detected in South Africa. There are worries this new strain could spread rapidly, similar to variant BA.2.86 (also called Pirola) which became dominant quickly.
Spike Protein Mutations
The new variant is reported to have over 30 changes in the spike protein that helps the virus infect cells. These extra mutations may enable faster spread, potentially overtaking variant JN-1 in some countries.
Monitoring, Not High Threat Yet
Variants Under Monitoring are not considered major public health threats yet, but are still being watched carefully. As of March 1, 2024, Johns Hopkins University has reported over 6.8 million worldwide deaths from COVID-19.
Health organizations will monitor whether this new variant leads to an uptick in infections, hospitalizations, or deaths. Additional testing and research on the variant’s transmissibility and severity will provide more definitive information.
