Pirola : Increase In Cases
Pirola, has seen a threefold increase in cases over a two-week period.
- Pirola is predominantly circulating in the US northeast, where it ranks as the second most prevalent variant (13%) following HV.1.
- Pirola or 2.86 Variant is a new strain of COVID-19 with 35 mutations, causing concerns about immune evasion and vaccine efficacy.
- It demonstrates distinct symptoms like rashes, conjunctivitis, and diarrhoea.
- The Pirola variant has been detected in several countries, including the US, the UK, and others.
- The fact that these cases are unrelated suggests some degree of international transmission, which is concerning.
- The concern with such mutations is that they could potentially make the virus more transmissible or resistant to immunity gained from previous infections or vaccinations.
- The WHO has classified BA.2.86 as a variant under monitoring.
- The spike protein of the Pirola variant has over 30 mutations, which is the protein that the virus utilizes to bind to human cells.
- This indicates that the Pirola variant could be more contagious or evade vaccines more than other Omicron subvariants
