Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff confirmed Thursday that one case of the COVID-19 variant BA.2.86 has been found in Lorain County.
ODH said the variant is notable because "it contains a number of mutations that make it distinct from other currently circulating lineages."
Lorain County's case is the first in the state to test positive for the variant and only the third in the country; the other two U.S. cases were in Michigan and Virginia.
So far, there have been 23 confirmed human cases of the variant worldwide; cases have been confirmed in the following areas: one in Canada, one in Israel, two in Portugal, one in the United Kingdom, four in Sweden and two in South Africa.
While it may seem scary that a new variant has popped up in our neck of the woods, Vanderhoff doesn't think it's a cause for concern right now.
“At this point, there is no evidence that this variant is causing any more severe illness, hospitalizations or deaths,” he said.
ODH reminds everyone the best way to stay protected is to stay up to date on your COVID-19 vaccination.
