Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff has confirmed that one case of the latest variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Ohio.

According to a press release from ODH, the COVID-19 variant, BA.2.86 has been detected in an individual in Lorain County. The CDC considers BA.2.86 a notable variant because it contains a number of mutations that make it distinct from other currently circulating lineages.

There have been 23 other cases of the BA.2.86 variant including two in the United States in Michigan and Virginia respectively. Other cases were confirmed in Canada, Denmark, Israel, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Sweden and South Africa.

Dr. Vanderhoff says there is currently no evidence that this variant is causing any more severe illness, hospitalizations or deaths.