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The highly mutated Covid-19 variant known as Pirola has been spreading around the world since late July and has been detected in wastewater testing in New Zealand.
The latest Covid-19 variant known as Pirola has been detected in New Zealand wastewater.
The Omicron subvariant, BA.2.86, has had scientists on alert since August due to its high number of mutations.
However, Manatū Hauora Ministry of Health says there are no indications it is substantially more severe or infectious than other subvariants circulating in the community and preliminary evidence suggests current Covid-19 vaccines are effective against this variant.
Declared a ‘variant under monitoring’ by the World Health Organization (WHO), Pirola has been gradually spreading around the world since it was first discovered in Denmark and Israel in late July.
The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) detected the Omicron subvariant for the first time in wastewater samples taken earlier this month. It has not yet been detected in anyone hospitalised here with Covid-19.
The ministry and ESR are conducting surveillance on this and other subvariants and monitoring developments here and overseas, as well as emerging international evidence, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
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The mandatory seven day isolation period for people with Covid-19, as well as the requirement to wear face masks in health facilities, will be scrapped.
Professor Michael Plank of University of Canterbury’s School of Mathematics and Statistics said the variant stands out because it has a much larger number of mutations than other variants that have taken off over the last year or so.
“The fact that cases of BA.2.86 popped up around the same time in countries with good genomic surveillance suggested we might just be seeing the tip of a rapidly growing iceberg.”
Plank said that led to concerns that the variant could bypass immunity from vaccination and previous infections and spread explosively.
However, although it has managed to get a foothold in lots of places, it hasn’t shown a major growth advantage, and for now it appears the potential impact of the variant is limited by existing population immunity, he said.
The ministry advises that people continue to test for Covid-19 if symptomatic and stay home if sick.
The final pandemic related public health orders were removed in mid-August when the Government removed the mandate for Covid-positive people to isolate for seven days.
