New COVID variant BA.2.86 detected in Japan amid wave of infections

BA.2.86, yet another new coronavirus subvariant that is a heavily mutated version of the omicron variant, has been detected in Japan for the first time.

While there’s no evidence so far that it causes more severe illness, experts say it may be more capable of infecting people who have been previously infected with the coronavirus or vaccinated with older versions of COVID-19 shots.

The news comes as the number of new cases continues to grow in Japan amid what is widely considered a ninth wave of coronavirus infections.