evidence: So far, only 26 cases of "Pirola," as the new variant is being called, have been identified: 10 in Denmark, four each in Sweden and the United States, three in South Africa, two in Portugal, and one each the United Kingdom, Israel, and Canada. BA 2.86 is a subvariant of Omicron, but according to reports from the CDC, the strain has many more mutations than the ones that came before it. [...] What is unique about the BA 2.86 variant? [...] "Vaccine coverage for the BA.2.86 is an area of uncertainty right now," said Mostafa.