EXCLUSIVE: BA.2.86 Covid variant IS spreading in the US: Virginia resident who traveled from Japan becomes second US patient to be infected with mutant strain – as experts say case is just the tip of the iceberg
A second American tested positive for the new highly mutated BA.2.86 Covid variant that caused global alarm due to its rapid transmission.
The positive case was discovered in an asymptomatic patient in Virginia who was tested on Aug. 10.
Scientists who identified the case in a database containing test samples from travelers entering the US said the person had recently returned to the United States from Japan.
Researchers are concerned about the variant, also spotted in Michigan last week, saying it more closely resembles the original Omicron strain and, unlike currently circulating strains, raises the risk that it could spark a new wave of infections. can cause.
The positive case was discovered in an asymptomatic patient in Virginia who was tested on Aug. 10 (image of former Virginia governor Ralph Northam, left, looking at the establishment of a Covid testing center in 2020)
US hospitalizations are up for a fifth week in a row, but are also barely a third of their level from this time last year
The number of deaths from Covid-19 currently remains static, after rising by four percent in a week. They hover around record levels
The discovery of the mutant strain in two states suggests it may be spreading to other areas unnoticed.
Only a fraction of positive smears are tested for variants, meaning that many cases with this strain are likely to go undiagnosed.
Dr. Aaron Glatt, a doctor at New York’s Mount Sinai, said the fact that these two cases had turned up meant it was “certainly possible” that the virus was now in other parts of the US.
When asked how many cases there could be nationwide, he said there may be “many more” than the dozens of infections already in the country.
This case is the second reported in the US, after an elderly patient with mild disease in Michigan was also diagnosed with the disease. They were not hospitalized.
Globally, seven cases have been detected so far in four countries – including Israel, Denmark and the United Kingdom.
Amid rising concerns about the variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) both said they are tracking the mutant strain.
The case was discovered in the US Traveler Based Genomic Surveillance Program.
This analyzes positive samples from passengers tested for Covid to check for variants.
Travelers are also questioned about their travel history and whether they have any complaints.
The program is active at seven airports — including Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. — with the CDC saying it could act as an “early warning system” for variants entering the US.
Former FDA director Dr. Scott Gottlieb warned this weekend that he was “quite concerned” about the new strain.
He warned that the strain may be more transmissible than other currently circulating Covid variants.
But there was no data to suggest it was more likely to cause serious illness or death than other variants. Rather, the virus has evolved to become more transmissible but less deadly.
At the national level, the most up-to-date official data shows that hospital admissions are on the rise – albeit from a record low.
There were 12,613 admissions where the patient tested positive for Covid in the week to August 12, marking the fifth week in a row that hospital admissions for the virus had risen and a fifth increase from the previous week.
But this was still barely a third of the levels recorded at the same time last year, when there were about 40,000 withdrawals each week.
The number of deaths remains static, with 479 reported in the last week of data available, July 22, compared to 484 in the previous seven-day period.
Lionsgate, a Hollywood studio, has ordered nearly half of its employees to start wearing face masks again. The rule is in effect at their Santa Monica building until further notice
Morris Brown College, a private liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, has also instructed staff and students to wear masks in hallways and lecture halls again.
An employee offers a face mask to a man at the Chinese hospital in San Francisco, in August 2021 during the pandemic
There is no official data on Covid cases as only about 40,000 tests are done per day.
But test positivity — that is, the proportion of tests that come back positive — has doubled in the past month.
There are also concerns about another Covid strain – EG.5 – which is dominant in the US and is estimated to be responsible for at least a fifth of all infections.
Scientists say this strain is more transmissible and could increase the number of cases. But they warn that the company could be overtaken by BA.X.
With more and more alarm bells ringing about Covid, there are now signs that some organizations are starting to reintroduce face masks.
Yesterday, Lionsgate — behind the Saw and the Hunger Games franchises — announced that employees are now required to wear face masks at their Santa Monica, California, office.
They said staff should also self-test before going to office, and let their managers know if they tested positive or have symptoms of the disease.
Lionsgate said the rules were in response to positive cases among employees.
They followed in the footsteps of Morris Brown College, a private liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, which has also ordered staff and students to wear masks in hallways and lecture halls again.
The college said the rules would remain in effect for two weeks and were activated due to “reports of positive cases among students.”
Students are also told to maintain social distancing and all parties and large gatherings are prohibited.
The number of Covid cases in Georgia has increased for three weeks in a row, but overall the number of infections and hospitalizations remains low.