New Covid-19 variant not necessarily alarming, virologist says

Dr Chris Smith says there have "thankfully" been no "severe outbreak consequences with this new variant"

A new Covid-19 variant is "not necessarily that alarming" thanks to vaccines, a virologist has said.

There have been 34 confirmed cases of BA.2.86, with 28 of those at a Norfolk care home. There have been no deaths.

Dr Chris Smith said as the "highly vulnerable" group had recovered, it indicated "existing immunity conferred by having been vaccinated" had worked.

UK Health Security Agency specialists are working with Norfolk County Council to offer advice and support.

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The new BA.2.86 strain has been confirmed in 34 people in England - 28 of them at a Norfolk care home

Dr Smith, from the University of Cambridge, said: "It looks like our existing immunity conferred by having been vaccinated and by having caught the virus - 97% of the world's population has now had a run-in for real now, we think - that's giving enough protection that while they may catch this infection, they're thankfully not developing severe outbreak consequences with this new variant."

Staff and residents were asked to have tests when an unusually high number of people became unwell, health officials said.

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Lab analysis found BA.2.86 in the majority of samples from those tests.

It has been found in several other countries including Canada, Israel and the US.

The UK Health Security Agency's latest briefing on Covid includes an analysis on BA.2.86, an Omicron spin-off.

It says out of the 34 cases confirmed through sequencing in a lab, five people have needed hospital treatment.

Dr Smith said: "What spooked and sparked the interest of scientists was that it's multiply mutated - in other words, if you consider its genetic code, it's got about 30 genetic variations that the existing variants didn't have.

"When they read through that genetic code and looked at what those changes may or may not do to the virus, it's not necessarily that alarming."

The government has brought forward its Covid vaccination programme from October to Monday.

This should "get us in a position when the most vulnerable people are at maximum protection sooner, so that if anything does take a turn for the worse we're prepared for it," said Dr Smith.