Why is "BA.2.86" trending?

Wikipedia Overview

BA.2.86 is a heavily-mutated Omicron subvariant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. BA.2.86 is notable for having more than thirty mutations on its spike protein relative to BA.2. The subvariant, which was first detected in a sample from 24 July 2023, is of concern due to it having made an evolutionary jump on par with the evolutionary jump that the original Omicron variant had made relative to Wuhan-Hu-1, the reference strain first sequenced in Wuhan in December 2019. It is a mutation of BA.2, itself a very early mutation in the Omicron family. BA.2.86 was designated as a variant under monitoring by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 17 August 2023, before being upgraded to a variant of interest on 19 December 2023. The variant was nicknamed Pirola by researchers, although no official sources use this name. Its foremost descendant, JN.1 (BA.2.86.1.1), became the dominant lineage in the Winter of 2023–2024, and has become the ancestor of nearly every circulating lineage since then.