COVID variants to keep an eye on.

BA.2.86 is a variant to keep an eye on. As you can see it has a lot of different spike mutations compared to XBB.1.5 (the variant the new vaccines are based on). So far it has only been found in 4 countries including 1 case in the US in Michigan. There's reason though to suspect some cryptic spread due to limited global genomic surveillance as some cases don't have recent travel history.

Too early to make significant judgments about it. Some variants end up being self-limiting or outcompeted by other variants. And we don't know the effects of all the spike mutations. Not all spike mutations increase viral fitness. But given that most circulating variants are close to XBB.1.5, and this is more distant, it is worth monitoring.