Latest Covid variant spreading in UK, health data suggests

BA.2.86, nicknamed Pirola, causing concern among scientists because of fear it could be more transmissible

The latest Covid-19 variant, BA.2.86, appears to be spreading in the UK, health surveillance data suggests.

The variant, nicknamed Pirola, has prompted concern among scientists because of the high number of mutations it carries, which raises the possibility that it could evade the immune system more easily or be more transmissible.