evidence: Each surveillance component provides distinct information, that, when considered together, enable robust situational awareness for early warning signals and support epidemiologic characterization if more widespread transmission is established. The SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.2.86, first detected in August 2023, has more than 30 mutations in the spike protein compared with other currently circulating variants. This sequence divergence of BA.2.86 suggested potentially reduced antibody protection from previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination, especially before early laboratory-based evaluations were conducted. Consequently, CDC is actively monitoring BA.2.86 to guide public health actions and surveillance efforts (1). Continued variant tracking and further evidence, such as real-word evaluations, are needed to understand the full public health impact of BA.2.86. This report highlights the use of a diverse, multicomponent surveillance system for early warning, and describes how this approach has informed the response to the SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 variant. [...] Other existing surveillance systems†††† might become critical to monitoring the impacts of BA.2.86. If circulation increases, epidemiologic data related to relative transmissibility, disease severity, and vaccine and therapeutic effectiveness will be important to understanding this variant’s impact on human health. If BA.2.86 exceeds 1% of circulating variants within the United States, it will be reported through CDC’s Nowcast estimates over time and by region. If BA.2.86 circulation expands to represent a significant proportion of circulating variants in the United States, other complementary COVID-19 surveillance systems that capture detailed laboratory- and patient-level data can be tracked in parallel to understand epidemiologic impacts. If new data become available that result in heightened concern, CDC can launch epidemiologic field studies on transmissibility and severity.