EYECARE: Coronavirus BRIEFING: Crisis Response Tactics Closely Watched COVID Variant Detected in 10 U.S. States By Staff Wednesday, September 20, 2023 8:02 AM The highly mutated version of the COVID-19 virus called BA.2.86 has already infected people in 10 U.S. states, according to a worldwide COVID tracking database.BA.2.86 has more than 30 mutations in the part of the virus responsible for entering healthy cells, therefore causing an infection. The sheer number of mutations has caught the attention of scientists and public health officials, who fear the design may be a recipe for the next COVID wave as winter approaches.The data, published on GISAID, showed infections with BA.2.86 have happened in Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington state. Head over to WebMD to read the full story.