evidence: Will the vaccine be useful against the most recent variants, such as BA.2.86? [...] Most recently, EG.5.1 (commonly called Eris), which was responsible for 21.5 percent of recent cases, and BA.2.86 (commonly called Pirola), a new sub-variant, have gained traction. [...] Last week, Moderna published early results that show the updated booster induced a nearly nine-fold increase in antibodies against BA.2.86, and previous lab tests showed their vaccine also protects against sub-variants EG.5 and FL.1.5.1, which together make up 36 percent of new Covid cases in the U.S., per ABC News.