Global and US health chiefs have urged calm over rising Covid cases and new variants, pointing out that virtually everyone now has immunity to the virus.
On Thursday, Dr Marion Koopmans – a virologist who advises the World Health Organization – said the world is now in a “different phase” of the pandemic due to higher levels of immunity to vaccination and previous infections.
And yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added that because of this wall of immunity, America is “its strongest point yet” against the virus.
Concerns have increased in recent weeks following the discovery of the new BA.2.86 variant who is experts in previous species.
America has been gripped by Covid concerns in recent weeks, amid signs of rising cases and the emergence of a new strain of Covid. The above shows daily new Covid cases worldwide for the past year, showing they have now dropped to record low levels. This figure is unreliable because so few people are now testing themselves for Covid, but the number of deaths is also at a record low
The number of deaths from Covid is also at a much lower level than earlier during the pandemic, according to data from Oxford University’s OurWorldInData
However, in an attempt to allay fears, Marion van Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who advises the WHO, pointed out that the world was now in a “different phase” of the pandemic, saying that virtually everyone had protection. Dr. Maria van kerkhove, WHO technical chief, also said BA.2.86 cases are still in ‘low numbers’
However, experts from the WHO and the CDC do not expect this variant to unleash a new wave of hospitalizations.
However, their position hasn’t stopped some parts of the US from panicking.
Yesterday, Rutgers University in New Jersey became the latest to bring back face masks for staff and students on its campuses, following a similar announcement by Morris Brown College in Atlanta earlier this week.
Hospitals in California and New York and a studio in Hollywood have also reduced facilities.
But in an effort to calm the situation, a CDC spokesperson said yesterday: “We are in our strongest position yet to be able to fight Covid, as well as the other viruses responsible for the majority of hospitalizations in the fall and winter. .’
Surveillance shows that 97 percent of people over the age of 16 now have some degree of immunity to Covid, either through vaccinations or previous infections. Levels are believed to be similar in younger age groups.
US hospitalizations are rising — up 21 percent in a week to 12,600 in the seven-day period to August 12 — though this is up from historic lows and still below last year’s levels.
The number of deaths remains static: 497 recorded in the week to July 29 – the latest number available – barely a shift from 491 the week before.
Dr. Koopmans said yesterday: “We are in a completely different phase (of the pandemic) than if it were to occur in the first year.”
Globally, Covid cases remain low, averaging 45,000 infections per day on August 18, according to OurWorldInData from the University of Oxford – or among the lowest since the early days of the pandemic.
This figure is probably a huge underestimate because so few people are now testing themselves for Covid, but another promising sign is that the number of deaths has also reached a record low.
Hospital admissions in the US are up 21 percent in a week, with 12,600 recorded hospital admissions in the week ending Aug. 12 — the latest number available.
However, the number of deaths remains static: 497 recorded in the week ending July 29, the latest available period, compared to 491 in the previous seven-day period
To further bolster immunity levels, the CDC also plans to recommend boosters for Americans in mid-September.
New jabs under development by Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax will target the currently dominant XBB variants, but scientists say they still need to provide a level of protection against other, newer strains.
Officials expect them to provide “robust” protection against EG.5 – another fast-growing variant in the US – although it’s too early to know its effectiveness against BA.2.86.
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official added that the updated admissions showed a “marked reduction in hospitalizations and deaths.”
Plans are being drawn up to offer them to all Americans, White House sources say, though questions remain about whether those under 65 really need them.
There are also concerns about BA.2.86, which scientists say could spark a new wave of Covid infections.
But to calm fears, Dr Marion Koopmans, a virologist who advises the WHO, said: “We are in a very different phase (of the pandemic) than if it were in the first year.”
At least nine cases of BA.2.86 have now been detected in six countries: Denmark, Israel, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK and the US.
Two cases have been discovered in the US so far, one in a person with mild illness in Michigan and another in an asymptomatic patient in Virginia who had recently returned from Japan. The variant has also been picked up in Ohio wastewater.
There are currently concerns that the strain could cause a new wave of infections, with the CDC yesterday warning that the variant “may infect vaccinated people better than other strains.”
But there are no signs yet that the species could cause more serious illness or death than previous variants. The virus is usually more contagious but less deadly.
Dr. Maria van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on Covid, pointed out that there are still a ‘low number’ of cases of this variant.
But she also urged governments not to drop the ball and to keep an eye on it.
The expert suggested the current number of reported cases was just the tip of the iceberg, saying about 20,000 sequences were uploaded in the past week. She said when Omicron was first discovered, that number was well over 200,000.