2023-08-13 07:44:00
10:44 AM Sunday, August 13, 2023
Books – Ahmed Gomaa:
The Ministry of Health and Population announced that it has taken all preventive and precautionary measures against Corona disease “Covid-19” in general, as it is an acute respiratory disease such as seasonal influenza.
With regard to the epidemiological situation in Egypt, Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, explained that, from April until now, cases of Covid-19 disease began to decrease significantly, reaching the lowest rates compared to previous years.
And he stressed in a statement, Sunday, that there have been no deaths since the last case recorded on March 16, 2023 so far, and all the currently circulating mutants belong to the “Omicron” mutator, and do not cause severe disease.
He added that the Ministry is following the epidemiological situation of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, through a strong surveillance system that includes routine monitoring of acute respiratory diseases for cases attending outpatient clinics or hospitalized, and through selected sites for monitoring acute respiratory diseases and influenza-like diseases. Genetic sequencing of laboratory-confirmed samples of COVID-19 disease in central public health laboratories on an ongoing basis, to follow up on the emergence of new variants in Egypt.
Abdul Ghaffar indicated that the World Health Organization declared the end of the global health emergency for COVID-19 on May 5, 2023, and since that date, the COVID-19 virus has become endemic in all countries of the world and is treated like other acute respiratory diseases. He added that the currently prevalent variant in the world is the Omicron mutant, which is rapidly spreading, but is less severe and less dangerous than other mutants.
He pointed out that the World Health Organization is currently monitoring several variants of the COVID-@DIGITS virus, including 3 variants classified as interesting (XBB.1.16, XBB.1.5, EG.5), and 6 other variants classified as under surveillance.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health pointed out that at the global level, XBB.1.16 is still the most prevalent variant, as it has been reported from a total of 101 countries since its appearance, and its prevalence represents 25.2% among all other variants during the epidemic week 29 in the period. From 17 to 23 July 2023, the XBB.1.5 variant was reported from 121 countries worldwide, with a prevalence of 12.7% over the same time period.
Regarding the “EG.5” mutant, “Abdul-Ghaffar” said that it is one of the subspecies of the XBB 1.9.2 mutant (a mixture of subspecies of the Omicron mutant), which was first reported on February 17, 2023, and was classified as a mutant under surveillance on the 19th. July 2023, after which it was classified as a variant of interest, as it has genetic features similar to XBB.1.5 but with additional mutations.
He indicated that as of August 7, 2023, 7,354 samples of the EG.5 variant had been reported from 51 countries, and its global prevalence rate was 17.4% among all other variants during Epidemic Week 29 from July 17 to 23, 2023.
Abdul Ghaffar revealed that according to the World Health Organization, most of the reported samples are from China (30.6%, 2247 samples), while the other countries that contain at least 100 samples are the United States of America (18.4%, 1356 samples), the Republic of Korea (14.1 %, 1040 samples), Japan (11.1%, 814 samples), Canada (5.3%, 392 samples), Australia (2.1%, 158 samples), Singapore (2.1%, 154 samples), United Kingdom (2.0%, 150 samples ), France (1.6%, 119 samples), Portugal (1.6%, 115 samples), and Spain (1.5%, 107 samples).
Abdul Ghaffar confirmed that the World Health Organization reported that the global risk assessment of the EG.5 variant at the present time is still as low as XBB.1.16 and other variants classified as interesting, according to the available evidence, despite its rapid spread and its ability to escape immunity. No changes in morbidity or severity were reported.
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