The World Health Organization reveals a variant of Covid-19 that still poses a threat
“Covid-19” still poses a threat as a new mutant of the “Corona” virus that causes the epidemic spreads steadily around the world, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.
According to Agence France-Presse, World Health Organization expert Maria Van Kerkhove said, “The virus (SARS-CoV-2) is spreading in every country at the present time, and it still poses a threat.”
She added, during a discussion on the organization’s social media channels: “We must remain vigilant; Because the virus spreads, develops and changes.”
Van Kerkhove was the technical director for Covid-19 at the World Health Organization during the 2019 pandemic, and is now the acting director of the United Nations organization for epidemic preparedness and prevention.
Noting that people can be infected with influenza and SARS-CoV-2 at the same time, she urged residents of the northern hemisphere to get vaccinated against both as winter approaches.
Currently, there are 3 new variants of concern (XBB.1.5, XXB.1.16, and EG.5) and 6 variants under surveillance, without reaching the level of concern.
One of the six variants, BA.2.86, is being moved to the top level of variants of concern.
“We do not see a change in their risk,” Van Kerkhove said, compared to other subvariants, but “we have seen a slow and steady increase in their detection around the world.”
The new classification is supposed to contribute to strengthening monitoring and research procedures.
The World Health Organization is also publishing a new assessment of the risks of the EG.5 variant, which represents about half of the globally shared sequences, noting that the World Health Organization has also not observed a change in its risk.
The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed millions of lives and wreaked economic and social devastation.
The World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern, its highest alert, on December 30, 2020, and then raised it on May 5 of this year.
In addition to infection and acute illness, the World Health Organization is also concerned about the long-term effects of the virus, known as long Covid, or post-Covid cases.
She said that 13.5 billion vaccines against “Covid-19” have been used globally.
Noting that people can be infected with influenza and SARS-CoV-2 at the same time, she urged residents of the northern hemisphere to get vaccinated against both as winter approaches.
