Since the original virus that causes COVID, SARS-CoV-2, emerged in March 2020, it has mutated into dozens of variants, but most don't differ too much from the "parents" they evolved from. However, a new variant scientists are bringing to our attention is about as genetically different from Omicron as Omicron was from the original "wild type" strain first detected in Wuhan, China in late 2019.
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it was tracking a new lineage of the virus, BA.2.86, following the World Health Organization (WHO) adding the strain to its list of "variants under monitoring." Originating in Israel, the variant has since appeared in Michigan in the U.S., three times in Denmark and once in the U.K., which has issued its own risk assessment.
