Health experts caution against new Covid-19 variant Pirola having more transmissibility

Pirola can take off and outcompete other sub-variants as the strain has 30 mutations that differ from a formerly dominant sub-variant XBB.1.5, also known as Kraken, said Dr Tamorish Kole, past president, the Asian Society for Emergency Medicine and also the visiting professor University of South Wales (UK)

New Delhi: Even as the COVID-19 situation in the country is under control, experts from India’s health domain on Saturday cautioned of a new variant spreading across different countries — BA.2.86 Pirola. “Pirola can take off and outcompete other sub-variants as the strain has 30 mutations that differ from a formerly dominant sub-variant XBB.1.5, also known as Kraken. This can result in a new Omicron-like wave, which could mean more immune escape properties, which in turn could lead to more transmissibility,” said Dr Tamorish Kole, past president, of the Asian Society for Emergency Medicine and also the visiting professor University of South Wales (UK).

He said that while only about a dozen cases of the new BA.2.86 variant has been reported worldwide, intense monitoring and vigilance is required for this variant because it has even greater potential to escape the antibodies, even if someone has recently been infected or vaccinated.

“Large gatherings of crowds will be a matter of concern if the Pirola variant spreads in India,” Dr Kole stated. Symptoms of Pirola are like any other Covid-19 variants, including high fever, cough, cold, loss of smell or taste, he said. Stating that the COVID-19 situation in India is still under control, Dr Kole said, “We need to be vigilant on this new variant.”

He said that Omicron is a known variant and continues to remain in the system. “Standard precautions will help to combat Omicron infections,” Kole said.

Meanwhile, the Indian SARS CoV2 Genomic Consortium (INSACOG) has reiterated that Omicron and its sub-lineages continue to be the dominant variants in India. “The prevalence of recombinant variant XBB.1.16 has been observed in different parts of India, accounting for 56.4 per cent of the infection till date. Among the samples collected till the second week of June, other XBB sub-lineages accounted for 43.6 per cent of the current infection. No increase in disease severity or hospitalisation has been observed,” the INSACOG said in its latest bulletin.

The INSACOG reports genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 by whole genome sequencing of samples from sentinel sites across the country and international passengers arriving in India. Referring to the global perspective, INSACOG said that nearly 1.2 million new cases and 7100 deaths have been reported in June. Currently, there are two variants of interest (VOI), XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16 and six variants under monitoring (VUMs) and their descendent lineages. The VUMs are BA.2.75, CH.1.1, XBB, XBB.1.9.1, XBB.1.9.2, and XBB.2.3.

The variant BQ.1 has been removed from the VUM list due to its low global prevalence (below 1 per cent over the past month). Globally, XBB.1.5 has been detected in 116 countries and continues to be the most prevalent variant, accounting for 23.3 per cent of cases.

“XBB.1.16 has been reported from 85 countries and accounted for 21.9 per cent of sequences submitted till date. An analysis of available data indicates that countries with a low prior prevalence of XBB.1.5 have experienced an increase in the prevalence of XBB.1.16, while countries that had a high prevalence of XBB.1.5 have reported low circulation of XBB.1.16,” the INSACOG stated.

It is worth mentioning that in view of the recent reports of the detection of certain newer variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus reported globally, Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, recently chaired a high-level meeting to review the global and national COVID-19 situation, newer variants in circulation and their public health impact.

Mishra said that while the COVID-19 situation in the country remains stable and public health systems in the country remain geared up, there is a need for states to monitor trends of influenza-like illness and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (ILI/SARI) cases, send sufficient samples for testing of Covid-19 while ramping up whole genome sequencing and maintain a close watch on the new global variants.