The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) classified this Thursday the recombinant strains of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus as variants of interest, warning of the increased spread and transmission of Covid-19. in Europe.
“ECDC has classified all XBB.1.5-like strains with the additional alteration of the F456L amino acid as variants of interest. This is due to a rapidly increasing proportion of these variants currently in circulation, which may have immune-evading properties in comparison with the variants that were previously in circulation ”, indicates the community agency in a press release released this Thursday.
Without specifying, the European center refers to an “increased transmission of COVID-19 in the EU/EEA [União Europeia/Espaço Económico Europeu] and abroad, after several months of very low infection rates”, without currently having “signs of increased hospitalizations or pressure on health systems”.
“Based on what is observed in countries outside the EU/EEA, it is likely that F456L variants will contribute to increased transmission in the coming weeks. However, levels are unlikely to reach the previous peaks seen during the pandemic. of Covid-19 and It is equally unlikely that F456L variants are associated with an increase in infection severity compared with previously circulating variants, or with reduced vaccine efficacy against severe disease.
As with other variants of SARS-CoV-2, older people and those with underlying diseases can develop severe symptoms if they become infected, reminds the ECDC.
For this reason, the European agency urges the Member States of the European Union to expand the use of vaccines against Covid-19 and communicate data on population surveillance in primary and secondary care, in order to timely monitor transmission trends.
“Adherence to national immunization schedules is essential to protect people at high risk of severe illness and death. Countries should assess their readiness to identify target groups and carry out vaccination campaigns against Covid-19 in a timely manner”, requests the ECDC.
The position comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned last week that the EG.5 strain of SARS-CoV-2, classified as of interest, could cause an increase in the incidence of infections and become dominant in some countries. or even in the world.
The EG.5 strain was first reported to WHO in February and designated as a variant under surveillance in mid-July.
Strain EG.5 has an additional mutation at amino acid F456L in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (coronavirus surface protein that binds to human cells) compared to recombinant strain XBB.1.9.2 that originated and with the recombinant subline XBB.1.5, both of the Omicron variant.
Covid-19 is a respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a type of virus detected at the end of 2019 in China and which has spread rapidly throughout the world, assuming several variants and subvariants, some more contagious than others. .
Since March 11, 2020, Covid-19 is a pandemic. Last May it ceased to be an international public health emergency.
Source: TSF
