There Is A New Subvariant Of COVID-19, UK Accelerates Vaccination Programs

COVID-19 vaccination center in London UK. (Wikimedia Commons/OwenBlacker)

JAKARTA - The UK will accelerate the start of the fall and COVID-19 flu vaccination programs, as a precautionary measure after the identification of the highly mutated case of COVID BA.2.86 subvariants in the country.

Scientists say the BA.2.86 subvariant, which is a branch of the Omicron variant, is unlikely to cause a wave of severe illness and death, following a global vaccination program and a series of previous infections.

However, the UK Ministry of Health said the annual vaccination program for the elderly and at-risk groups would begin a few weeks earlier than planned, in connection with the subvariance.

"When leading scientists around the world gather more information about the BA.2.86 variant, it makes sense to advance the vaccination program," Health Minister Maria Caulfield said in a statement.

The BA.2.86 subvariant was first detected in the UK on August 18. Meanwhile, the vaccination program will start on September 11, with residents of nursing homes and people with the highest risk of receiving vaccinations first.

Currently, the subvariant is not categorized as a "variant of concern" in the UK, while the Ministry of Health says there are no changes in health provisions that apply in society.

It is known, this subvariant was first detected in Denmark on July 24, after a virus that infects patients at risk of severe illness was sequenced.

The disease has been detected in other patients with symptoms, in routine examinations at airports, and in wastewater samples in several countries.

The UK has not implemented any coronavirus restrictions since February 2022. Meanwhile, the Chief Executive of the UK Health Safety Agency Jenny Harries said the new subvariant is expected to occur in line with the phase of life with COVID-19.

"Currently, the available information regarding BA.2.86 is limited, so the potential impact of this special variant is difficult to predict," Harries said in a statement.

"Like all the COVID-19 variants that appear and circulate, we will continue to monitor BA.2.86, providing advice to the government and the public as we learn more," he said.