(WXYZ) — In today's Health Alert, the World Health Organization updated the status of a new coronavirus strain it's been reclassified as a "variant of interest."
Previously the World Health Organization had classified the BA.2.86 strain as a "variant under monitoring." They notched up the status because it's spreading more widely globally.
In fact, here in the US, cases have tripled in the past two weeks. And by calling it a "variant of interest," this encourages global monitoring and more research to understand if it causes more severe illness or is better at evading immunity.
Now, when BA.2.86 emerged, it raised concerns in the health community. That's because it shared many similarities with the original Omicron strain, which spread rapidly and caused a high number of hospitalizations and deaths worldwide. And with over 30 mutations, scientists worried that it could evade immunity from both vaccinations and previous infections, potentially causing another surge.
However, research found that it didn't entirely escape the body's immune response, and the current COVID-19 vaccine provides some level of protection against it.
Regarding the current risk from this group of viruses, the World Health Organization says that the risk seems to be low at the moment. However, it's essential to keep in mind that the virus is continuously evolving, and we now have the JN.1 subvariant, which is spreading faster than BA.2.86.
The Biden administration plans to send free COVID tests to schools nationwide this winter, I think this is a great idea. The Department of Education sent letters to schools, encouraging them to use these free tests which are easy to use.
Schools have the flexibility to store them in nurses' offices, main offices, or distribute them to students and parents. School districts can start ordering these tests in early December.
As we know, kids spend a lot of time inside, especially during the winter months, which gives viruses plenty of opportunity to spread. So testing is important so that anyone who is sick can stay home.
But I also want to stress once more the importance of getting the new COVID-19 vaccine. I, myself, was vaccinated earlier in November. And that's because over 18,000 Americans were admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 in the past week, marking a roughly 10% rise compared to the previous week, according to the CDC.
Data tells us that the levels of coronavirus detected in wastewater nationally are notably high and seem to be on the rise. And this could indicate a potential increase in case numbers. So, it's best to protect yourself and your loved ones by getting vaccinated.
