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Electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. Image captured and colourized at NIAID’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana. Photo by: NIAID. Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/.

WHO upgrades BA.2.86 to COVID-19 variant of interest as US proportions grow

Published November 27, 2023

Published by: CIDRAP
Published on: November 27, 2023
By Lisa Schnirring

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The World Health Organization (WHO) last week reclassified the Omicron BA.2.86 variant—and its offshoots, including JN.1—as a variant of interest as global proportions grow, including in the United States, where it now makes up about 9% of circulating viruses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.

Image description: Electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles. Photo by: NIAID. Image is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 DEED | Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

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