COVID-19 still a global health threat, new variant under scanner: WHO chief

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified BA.2.86 as a variant under monitoring (VUM). This means that the WHO is tracking the variant closely and will upgrade it to a variant of interest (VOI) or a variant of concern (VOC) if there is evidence that it is more transmissible, more likely to cause severe disease, or evades immunity. BA.2.86 is a subvariant of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.