U.S. Health Agency: Vaccinated Individuals Are Not Safe from New COVID Variant

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States states that the new variant "BA.2.86" of the coronavirus may have a greater ability to cause infections in individuals who have previously contracted COVID-19 or have been vaccinated compared to older variants. The health agency notes that it is still too early to determine whether this new variant may cause more severe illness compared to previous strains. In the U.S., hospitalizations have increased, but the CDC suggests that this rise is likely not due to the new variant. Scientists worldwide are monitoring the new variant, which has 36 mutations that distinguish it from the current dominant strain, "XBB.1.5." However, the CDC mentioned that samples of the virus are still not widely available for more precise antibody testing in laboratories. As of August 23, nine cases of the new variant have been reported globally: Denmark (3 cases), South Africa (2 cases), Israel (1 case), the United States (2 cases), and the United Kingdom (1 case). One of the cases in the U.S. was identified through genomic surveillance of travelers by the CDC. The agency states that the identification of these cases in several regions is evidence of international transmission of the new variant. Medical experts emphasize that at-risk individuals should resume wearing masks to prevent potentially deadly infections. Dr. Robert Wachter, who heads the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told CNN that while the number of hospitalizations has not yet doubled, it is likely to increase. He stated that the risk of infection is now twice what it was one or two months ago, and if you are trying to protect yourself, it is time to bring out and wear the mask again. Dr. Wachter tweeted that he does not refer to the new increase as a wave, but the current trend indicates that hospitalizations in the U.S. are on the rise. Earlier, Dr. Mahan Ghafari, an epidemiologist and virus evolution researcher at the University of Oxford in the UK, told Voice of America that the emergence of new subvariants is a reminder that the continuous circulation of COVID-19 is present in all countries. He emphasized that since the World Health Organization declared the end of the emergency status, the level of virus tracking and genomic sequencing in countries has decreased. Dr. Ghafari stated that in Iran, over the past three years, not much data has been collected, and there has not been a good assessment of the overall spread of the virus in different parts of the country due to "minimal data," but Omicron subvariants have also been circulating in Iran. He added that it is unclear what subvariant is currently circulating in Iran. Many countries are now preparing for a potential new wave of COVID-19, and updated booster vaccines that provide resistance against the "XBB.1.5" Omicron variant will be available to Americans in the fall. The Biden administration has also announced that it is allocating one billion dollars for COVID-19 vaccine trials that are in development, 300 million dollars for the development of a new monoclonal antibody to protect immunocompromised individuals, and 100 million dollars for discovering new technologies to help prevent and treat COVID-19. This report utilized sources such as Reuters, the CDC website, and the U.S. Department of Health.