Variant Technical Group News Today

By Brenda Goodman, CNN

Scientists around the world are fast-tracking lab experiments to try to understand the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant of the virus that causes Covid-19. Results just beginning to emerge are offering some reassurance, experts say.

Scientists around the world are fast-tracking lab experiments to try to understand the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant of the new coronavirus.

(CNN) — Scientists around the world are fast-tracking lab experiments to try to understand the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant of the virus that causes COVID-19. Results just beginning<a class="excerpt-read-more" href="https://wsvn.com/news/us-world/early-lab-tests-suggest-new-covid-19-variant-ba-2-86-may-be-less-contagious-and-less-immune-evasive-than-feared/">Read More</a>

Scientists around the world are fast-tracking lab experiments to try to understand the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant of the virus that causes COVID-19. Results just beginning to emerge are offering some reassurance, experts say.

The Omicron storm seems to be on. The lineage has been throwing out a series of sub-lineages within a short span of around 4-month. After the XE variant, two more new variants within the Omicron lineage have recently been identified via genome sequencing in the United Kingdom. 

Several countries quickly closed down travel to South Africa, where the variant was first discovered, including Bahrain, Belgium, Britain, Croatia, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Singapore. This also negatively impacted foreign financial markets.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has given a statement to Parliament on a new variant under investigation and action government is taking.

The highly mutated COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529 'may pose a significant risk to public health', health and social care secretary Sajid Javid has told MPs.

Update: President Biden has spoken out about the variant, taking to Twitter to write:...