New COVID variants on rise; is another COVID wave coming soon?
Pirola was first identified in July
Pirola, which is notorious for the 30 mutations on its spike gene, was first detected in Denmark in July. Until the second week of September 2023, the Pirola variant has been found in several countries including Canada, Israel, Portugal, South Africa, and Sweden, as well as the UK and the US.
WHO has designated it as a "variant under monitoring"
In August 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated Pirola as a variant under monitoring with “only three sequences available and based on the large number of mutations identified.”
No evidence that Pirola is causing severe illness
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Pirola has not been linked to any deaths yet
Until now, no deaths have been reported linked to BA.2.86 variant. "However, limited and lagging genomic surveillance means it may well be circulating elsewhere too," GAVI had said in September.
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Pirola can cause severe infections
As per the US CDC, "BA.2.86 may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines." However, in the US Pirola and other variants like Eris and Fornax account for a tiny proportion of the cases currently.
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Are COVID cases increasing due to newer variants like Pirola, Eris?
With less testing and almost zero surveillance, testing is no longer a reliable parameter to say how actively these variants are spreading. "This week’s national ensemble predicts that the number of daily COVID-19 hospital admissions will remain stable or have an uncertain trend, with 660 to 6,000 daily COVID-19 hospital admissions likely reported on November 6," the US CDC has said in the forecast for new COVID hospital admissions.
Are there any changes in the symptoms?
The pattern of the symptoms is more or less similar to the symptoms seen during the earlier waves of COVID-19 infection. Runny nose, sneezing, muscle ache, headache, and sore throat continue to remain the top symptoms seen in COVID patients. Other symptoms like shortness of breath, altered sense of smell, and cough which were seen in previous waves of the COVID infection are also seen among people these days.
US is providing free COVID testing kits
The US government is providing four free rapid COVID test kits to its citizens to enable more testing. "The U.S. government will continue to make COVID-19 tests available to uninsured individuals and underserved communities through existing outreach programs," it has said. The test kits are being directly delivered to the homes.
In a nutshell...
Basic behavior like wearing mask, taking vaccines and following COVID safety rules should always be followed. With new variants emerging, that are highly mutated than the previous ones, it is difficult to know which one is likely to cause more severe infection. Avoid going to crowded places, unless and until it is required; avoid touching contaminated surfaces, sanitise your hands and clean them frequently.