Winter vaccinations brought forward as Covid variant spreads in Scotland

A rapidly mutating new Covid variant has been found to be spreading in Scotland, leading to winter vaccinations being brought forward.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) said variant BA.2.86, also known as Pirola, was identified on August 16 through a PCR test.

Less than a fortnight later on August 29, it was found in wastewater in another NHS board area.

Pirola has already been found in England, Sweden, Canada and America, and is said to be the “most striking variant since Omicron”.

Scotland

First cases of rapidly mutating Covid variant identified in Scotland

It comes after England’s autumn flu and coronavirus vaccine programme was pulled forward by a month due concern about the BA.2.86 variant, also known as Pirola.

The UK Health Security Agency and representatives from the four nations held a meeting to risk assess the newly identified BA.2.86 lineage.

It was designated a variant due to a “high number of mutations and the unknown effects this may have on transmissibility and severity”, Public Health Scotland said.

The new variant has prompted the winter vaccination programme in Scotland to be brought forward to September 4 from mid-October, for care home residents, the over-75s and those who are clinically vulnerable.

But in this year’s programme, healthy under-65s will no longer routinely be offered a booster jag – unlike last year, when all people over 50 were given the option.

First Minister Humza Yousaf said he had asked the chief medical officer to brief Cabinet on BA.2.86.

He told STV News that the vaccine programme would adapt to the advice of the JCVI.

A report from PHS said: “Scottish wastewater surveillance data provided by BioSS to PHS have identified the presence of BA.2.86 in a different NHS health board.

“Accuracy of the detection of specific variants varies due to the nature of wastewater sequencing data and caution is required when interpreting genomic wastewater analyses.”

The UK Health Security Agency has held a technical group meeting to assess BA.2.86 “due to a high number of mutations and the unknown effects this may have on transmissibility and severity”.

PHS has continually monitored Covid-19 and other respiratory infection levels over the summer.

Dr Nick Phin, director of public health science at PHS, said: “While we are not concerned about the current levels of Covid-19, the identification of BA.2.86 in Scotland means that we are now working with health boards to ensure those most vulnerable to illness are protected this winter.”

Chief medical officer Professor Sir Gregor Smith said: “Work is ongoing to understand the new Covid-19 variant BA.2.86 more fully, however as a precautionary measure, vaccination of people at highest risk such as care home residents and people aged 75 and over is being brought forward.”