ALT Text reads: Statement from N Y C Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan on the BA.2.86 COVID-19 variant. Like all viruses, COVID-19 adapts, and we continue to adapt to keep New Yorkers safe too. One recent change to COVID-19 is the BA.2.86 variant, which has been seen in other parts of the U.S. and was recently detected in New York City’s sewage. While we have yet to find it in a specimen from a local resident, it is almost certainly circulating here. Based on the degree of mutations – while vaccinated people continue to be protected against serious illness – this variant may be more likely to evade immunity that has developed from vaccination or prior infection than earlier variants. But there is currently no indication that it causes more severe illness. We continue to monitor this carefully, alongside our colleagues at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. As cases rise, precautions become increasingly important, especially for our most