The World Health Organization (WHO) announced this Friday that it is closely monitoring a new variant of the coronavirus responsible for Covid-19, although “the potential impact of the numerous mutations is unknown (…)”.
The WHO decided to classify a new variant “in the category of variants under surveillance due to the large number (more than 30) of mutations,” according to the epidemiological bulletin dedicated to Covid-19 and released this morning.
So far, this new variant has only been detected in Israel, Denmark, and the United States.
In the US, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that it is also closely monitoring the variant, in a message posted on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Currently, only four known sequences of this variant have been identified, with no known associated epidemiological link, the WHO explained.
“The potential impact of the BA.2.86 mutations is currently unknown and is being carefully evaluated,” the organization said.
The WHO currently has seven variants classified as under surveillance and three as variants of concern, including EG.5, the identification of which was first reported in February.
Last week, the organization warned that this variant could cause an increase in the incidence of infections and become dominant in some countries or even in the world.
The WHO bulletin says that between July 17 and August 13, more than 1.4 million new cases of Covid-19 were reported, an increase of 63% compared to the previous 28-day period. By contrast, the death toll dropped by 56% to more than 2,300.
On Thursday, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), warning of the increase in the spread and transmission of Covid-19 in Europe, “after several months of very low infection rates”, at the moment there are no “signs of increase”. hospitalizations or pressure on health systems”.
In a press release, ECDC announced that it had classified recombinant strains of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus as variants of interest.
The center emphasized that these strains “may have immune evacuation properties compared to variants that were previously in circulation,” meaning the vaccines may be less effective.
The ECDC said that “levels are unlikely to reach the previous peaks seen during the Covid-19 pandemic”, but recalled that older people and those with underlying illnesses can develop severe symptoms if infected.
The European agency urged the Member States of the European Union to expand the use of vaccines against Covid-19.
As of August 13, the WHO had registered more than 769 million confirmed cases and more than 6.9 million deaths caused by Covid-19 worldwide, although the organization admits that the real figures are much higher. .
Source: TSF
