Texas has become the fifth state to detect the highly mutated Covid variant BA.2.86.
The variant, feared to be better at infecting vaccinated people than previous strains, has also been detected in Ohio, Virginia, Michigan and New York.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said last week that because so few swabs are being analyzed now, the strain is likely much more widespread than the official figures indicate.
The BA.2.86 strain, also known as Pirola, has been identified by physicians through genome sequencing carried out at the Houston Methodist hospital, Dr Wesley Long announced on X (formerly Twitter) today.
The CDC said last week it believes ‘the large number of mutations in this variant raises concerns of greater escape from existing immunity from vaccines and previous infections compared with other recent variants.’
Some 2,500 Americans are being admitted to hospital each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Dr Wesley Long said: ‘Our continuing comprehensive #COVID-19 genome sequencing effort has identified the first BA.2.86 reported in Texas, and the fourth in the US.
‘XBB and its sublineages remain dominant. We continue to monitor all variants. Vaccination remains your best defense against Covid-19.’
A spokesperson for the CDC told The Epoch Times on Tuesday that Covid hospital admission levels ‘are currently low for more than 96 percent’ of the US, but that the agency recommended that transportation workers, travelers, passengers, and others get the Covid-19 vaccine ‘before they travel.’
‘Anyone may choose to wear a mask in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor areas, including on public transportation and in transportation hubs at any time,’ the CDC spokesperson said.
The agency does not currently have any mandate in effect, and the ‘CDC’s advice for individual and community actions around Covid-19 are tied to hospital admission levels,’ the spokesperson said.
Covid hospital admissions across the US jumped 19 percent in a week, the sixth week in a row they have increased. The CDC has also forecast an acceleration in new hospitalizations over the coming month.
It predicts the number of daily Covid hospital admissions will increase to between 1,700 to 9,700 daily Covid hospital admissions in September.
The CDC’s forecast replaced a previous projection that admissions would ‘remain stable or have an uncertain trend.’
There were 15,067 admissions in which the patient tested positive for Covid in the week between August 13 and August 19.
But this was still barely a third of the levels recorded at the same time last year when there were about 40,000 admissions every week.
Deaths remain static, with 616 reported in the latest week data is available, August 5, compared to 512 in the previous seven-day spell.
Doctors on the ground are also saying that the illness is the most mild they’ve seen in Covid patients during the pandemic.
Still, concerns about the new variants have led to masks creeping back into daily life.
A Kaiser Permanente hospital in Santa Rosa, California and Upstate Community Hospital in Syracuse, New York, which together serve millions of Americans, have brought back mandates for doctors, nurses, patients and visitors.
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