Case numbers of a new coronavirus variant are likely to increase over winter but ultimately the virus will fade away, a leading expert has said.
The emerging BA.2.86 or Pirola variant of SARS-CoV-2 is also unlikely to cause more severe symptoms than other circulating versions.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US said last month that it was closely monitoring variant, which has so far been found in Denmark, Israel, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK and the US.
Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia in the UK, who has been one of the most prominent scientific voices during the pandemic, said that the new variant may have been "silently spreading" in countries that carry out little testing for weeks or even months.
I don't believe we'll find it's any more virulent or cause any more severe diseases
Paul Hunter,
professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia in the UK
Prof Hunter told The National that BA.2.86 had more than 30 mutations compared to its ancestor, the BA.2 variant, which caused a wave of infections.
However, he believes that the new variant is unlikely to avoid existing immunity, whether from vaccination or prior infection.
"I don't believe we'll find it's any more virulent or cause any more severe diseases," Prof Hunter said.
"It will probably increase for a while before it will fade out. Whether that drives up a huge number of infections, it's difficult to say. But probably not in my view, but we will see."
Spike in infections
Prof Hunter said infections will likely rise in the last quarter of the year, regardless of whether there are any new variants, adding that infections will peak in November, December, January and February.
The increase in infections, he says, is likely in parts of the northern hemisphere where the temperature drop in winter means that people spend extra time indoors and are more likely to catch and pass on pathogens.
Laboratory tests analysing Pirola have indicated that it's unlikely that the variant will escape immunity.
Prof Hunter said that while BA.2.86 was likely to become more common in the immediate future, it would also probably fade away just as quickly.
"That's what happens with every new variant: it starts off, looks really impressive, then a couple of months later it peters out," he said.
New variants are likely to multiply and spread more easily because people's pre-existing immunity would find it marginally harder to recognise them than pre-existing variants, he added.
However, as this advantage declines, the new variant no longer spreads faster than others. At the same time, evolution results in the creation of yet more new variants.
Increased analysis of variants
FL.1.5.1 is another variant that is causing about 15 per cent of infections in the United States. According to reports, it may be more effective at evading existing immunity than BA.2.86.
Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading in the UK, said that there was an argument that the continued detection and detailed monitoring of variants was "find out more than you need".
"In years gone by, we wouldn't even know they were variants because the sequencing would not be done," he told The National.
The crucial factor, he says, is whether the new variants can cause severe symptoms.
"Will it lead people to be off work or lose their lives? The answer to that – a consistent downwards from the original strain – is no," he said.
While new vaccines have been formulated to cope with new variants, Prof Jones said that there had only been a few such updates, highlighting the way that the new variants were vulnerable to pre-existing immunity.
In August last year the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved what is called bivalent vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.
They are designed to provide protection against both the original version of the virus and the Omicron variant.
Reformulated vaccines aimed at providing immunity against XBB.1.5, known as Kraken, a subvariant of Omnicron, has been developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novartis, and are set to be rolled out soon.
Moderna said this week that trials indicated that its vaccine against Kraken was likely to provide good protection against Pirola too, Reuters reported.
It comes after comments from both Moderna and Pfizer made last month that their Kraken vaccine also provided good protection against the Eris variant or EG.5.
"Certainly [the vaccine manufacturers] are not falling over themselves to change the vaccine with the latest variant, which tells you something," Prof Jones said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
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SCORES
Multiply Titans 81-2 in 12.1 overs
(Tony de Zorzi, 34)
bt Auckland Aces 80 all out in 16 overs
(Shawn von Borg 4-15, Alfred Mothoa 2-11, Tshepo Moreki 2-16).
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
HAJJAN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Abu%20Bakr%20Shawky%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3EStarring%3A%20Omar%20Alatawi%2C%20Tulin%20Essam%2C%20Ibrahim%20Al-Hasawi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Pakistanis%20at%20the%20ILT20%20
%3Cp%3EThe%20new%20UAE%20league%20has%20been%20boosted%20this%20season%20by%20the%20arrival%20of%20five%20Pakistanis%2C%20who%20were%20not%20released%20to%20play%20last%20year.%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%0D%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EShaheen%20Afridi%20(Desert%20Vipers)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ESet%20for%20at%20least%20four%20matches%2C%20having%20arrived%20from%20New%20Zealand%20where%20he%20captained%20Pakistan%20in%20a%20series%20loss.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EShadab%20Khan%20(Desert%20Vipers)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%0DThe%20leg-spin%20bowling%20allrounder%20missed%20the%20tour%20of%20New%20Zealand%20after%20injuring%20an%20ankle%20when%20stepping%20on%20a%20ball.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAzam%20Khan%20(Desert%20Vipers)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EPowerhouse%20wicketkeeper%20played%20three%20games%20for%20Pakistan%20on%20tour%20in%20New%20Zealand.%20He%20was%20the%20first%20Pakistani%20recruited%20to%20the%20ILT20.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMohammed%20Amir%20(Desert%20Vipers)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EHas%20made%20himself%20unavailable%20for%20national%20duty%2C%20meaning%20he%20will%20be%20available%20for%20the%20entire%20ILT20%20campaign.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EImad%20Wasim%20(Abu%20Dhabi%20Knight%20Riders)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20left-handed%20allrounder%2C%2035%2C%20retired%20from%20international%20cricket%20in%20November%20and%20was%20subsequently%20recruited%20by%20the%20Knight%20Riders.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
ARGENTINA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Agustin Marchesin, Esteban Andrada
Defenders: Juan Foyth, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico, Ramiro Funes Mori, Renzo Saravia, Marcos Acuna, Milton Casco
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Roberto Pereyra, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, Matias Suarez
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
More on Quran memorisation:
The years Ramadan fell in May
