The Centers for Disease Control issued a statement that reversed its previous assessment regarding the most recent COVID-19 variant.
Currently, the latest variant, referred to as BA.2.86, is combated by already-known antibodies, per research from multiple labs examined by the CDC. The announcement was issued Friday.
PANDEMIC POLITICS RETURNS TO THE SENATE AS COVID-19 CASES RISE
Initially, the CDC released a risk assessment that warned the variant could be “more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines.” As of Friday morning, cases with the variant were found in Colorado, Delaware, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.
“CDC and other experts are reassured by these research findings that support the effectiveness of this type of immunity against this variant,” its latest statement read. “Additionally, based on CDC’s experience with past SARS-CoV-2 variants, people will likely have protection against severe disease mediated by both cellular and antibody immunity.”
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The country saw a 19% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations and an 18% increase in deaths in the last week of August, according to the CDC. There were 15,067 hospitalizations from the coronavirus from the week before.
Other cases of the variant were found in a few countries across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. The CDC said it will need further real-world data to issue further assessments.
