New 'highly mutated' Pirola Covid variant cases detected in UK as strain found in wastewater
02.09.2023 - 18:57
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
New cases of the 'highly mutated' Pirola variant of Covid-19 have been detected in the UK, as numbers of those infected with the virus rise.
Covid BA.2.86 - or Pirola - was first recognised by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on August 18. In the UK there were previously two known cases, one in England and one in Scotland, but since then another has been also announced in England - with reports suggesting a fourth in Scotland too.
The variant has also been found in tested wastewater, according to the latest government release, reports The Mirror.
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None of the cases had a recent travel history, suggesting community transmission within the UK and it was only picked up as all of them were tested as hospital patients.
Of the three confirmed cases so far, one person was said to be “mildly unwell”, whilst the second had no respiratory symptoms and the third case, in Scotland, was symptomatic. Despite the alarm over the high number of mutations, which clearly sets it apart from previous strains, there’s no indication that Pirola is spreading quickly and taking over, let alone being more deadly.
Denmark currently has the most cases, boasting 10, followed by four in Sweden and the US, three in the UK, two in Portugal and South Africa, and one in Canada and Israel. But these, according to UKHSA, don’t include countries that have detected BA.2.86 in wastewater.
Possible explanations for Pirola’s emergence include a mass gathering event seeding multiple countries, an ongoing outbreak in a country that isn’t tracking variants, or, worryingly, widespread community transmission that remains undetected despite the efforts of scientists