In a recent statement, the White House disclosed that Dr. Jill Biden, 72, has tested positive for Covid. The First Lady is currently experiencing mild symptoms. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden received a negative test result for the virus, as confirmed in a separate statement.
Amid a backdrop of rising Covid case numbers in the United States, health experts are closely monitoring a concerning new variant.
Referred to informally as “Pirola” or BA.2.86, this variant is now officially designated as a highly-mutated offshoot of the Omicron strain, which previously led to a surge in cases in various countries, including the US.
Yale Medicine, in a bulletin released on Thursday, reported that the new variant exhibits over 30 mutations in its spike protein—a crucial element on the outer surface of the coronavirus responsible for facilitating entry into and infection of human cells.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Scott Roberts remarked on the significance of this extensive mutation count, stating, “The biggest concern has been the number of mutation differences with BA.2.86. When we went from XBB.1.5 to EG.5, that was maybe one or two mutations, and they were expected. With every respiratory virus, as it spreads from person to person, it evolves gradually over time. But these massive shifts, which we also saw from Delta to Omicron, are worrisome.”
In an assessment dated August 23rd, the CDC indicated that there was no current evidence suggesting the variant was causing more severe illness. However, they also noted the potential for this to change as time progresses.
With the symptoms associated with Pirola infections, there remains a significant amount of uncertainty, as health officials pointed out, and it can’t be ruled out that symptoms will worsen as more mutations occur.
Here is the current running list of covid symptoms to look out for:
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Lohe
- Muscle aches
- Altered sense of smell