A sub-strain of the OMICRON mutated coronavirus called BA.5 is circulating in record this summer, and it is a highly contagious branch, which confirms that Corona virus remains a global emergency About two and a half years following it was first announced.
Previously, infection with an omicron meant “you might have some protection once morest reinfection for a few months”, but the problem is that BA.5 “strategically evades our accumulated defenses once morest previous mutants of the virus”. This means that infections, even in newly vaccinated and infected people, are on the rise, according to Business Insider. Business Insider.
The possibility of infection with a BA.5 mutant is higher compared to other mutant ones, and it may affect anyone, whether they have already taken a vaccine, a booster dose, or even recently recovered from a corona infection.
Anthony Fauci
“If you have BA.1, you’re really not very well protected once morest BA.4/5,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief infectious disease expert in the US, said Tuesday.
And the “Business Insider” website quoted public health experts as evaluating “how concerned we should be regarding this new mutant from Omicron?”.
expressive
“I can’t answer the question, because it depends on your vaccination status, age, health, occupation, living situation, etc.,” said Dr. Celine Gunder, infectious disease expert and public health editor at Kaiser Health News.
“I would say 3 out of 10 (extent of concern),” said Dr. Priti Malaney, an infectious disease doctor at the University of Michigan, expressing “moderate concern” regarding the new mutation.
“BA.5 is everywhere, and if you haven’t had it yet, the odds are there, but if you’ve been vaccinated, it should be mild and without serious medical consequences,” Malani added.
She added that while there was a “high risk of exposure” to this type, she said there was also “a lot of reason to be hopeful”, such as early treatment with Paxlovid, which is now free to all Americans who may need it.
She explained: “Through home tests and quick access to treatment (for those at risk of severe infection), corona can be controlled.”
The repeated waves of Covid-19 during that period caused the deaths of millions of people, with periods of lull in virus activity around the world.
CNN says that the virus spreads once more, evolves, escapes from the immune system, and leads to an increase in cases and the need for hospitalization.
The new mutant was called “BA.5”, and it is a branch of the highly contagious Omicron mutant, in a clear indication that the epidemic is not over yet, according to the network.
Over the weekend, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that new waves of Covid-19 infections show that the epidemic is “not even close to its end”.
“New waves of the virus are showing once once more that COVID-19 is not nearing its end,” Ghebreyesus said at a press conference. “While the virus is pressuring us, we must confront it.”
“With the increase in hospital admissions and the spread of Covid-19, it is imperative for governments to publish tried-and-true measures such as wearing masks, improving ventilation, examination and treatment protocols,” he added.
The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has risen by 30% in the past two weeks – a rise primarily driven by Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 mutations, Dr Michael Ryan, WHO’s chief emergencies officer, said during the press conference.
As of July 11, the World Health Organization has counted more than 552.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, of which 232.3 million are in Europe, with more than 6.3 million deaths since the beginning of the epidemic.
