World public health agencies are tracking a highly mutated strain of the virus that causes COVID-19.
The newly discovered strain, referred to as BA.2.86, has been designated as a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization (WHO) “due to the large number of mutations it carries.”
“More data are needed to understand this COVID-19 variant and the extent of its spread, but the number of mutations warrants attention. WHO will update countries and the public as we learn more,” the WHO wrote on social media Thursday.
