At a time when the situation in Russia and Ukraine is shaking, people seem to have overlooked the news that a new variant has emerged in Omicron.
The latest research results from the University of Tokyo in Japan show that a new variant of the Omi kerong has emerged, and this virus is currently named the Omi kerong BA.2 subtype variant. Compared with the current epidemic of the new coronavirus Omilton BA.1, the BA.2 subtype variant not only spreads faster, but may also cause severe disease. The World Health Organization estimates that BA.2 is about 30 percent more contagious than current BA.1, and it has been found in 74 countries and 47 states in the United States.
Meanwhile, California took the lead in launching a plan across the country last week to weather the crisis phase of the pandemic and respond to the virus as a constantly controllable risk. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on the 21st that all covid-19 prevention restrictions in England will be lifted, including self-isolation requirements for new crown patients. However, Johnson's announcement of the new plan has attracted opposition from many experts and opposition parties.
A new variant of Omikron is more contagious and more toxic
Currently, a new variant is more contagious and dangerous than Omikejong, the virus is currently named the Omikejong BA.2 variant.
According to the latest research from the University of Tokyo in Japan, compared with the current epidemic of the new crown virus, the BA.2 subtype variant not only spreads faster, but may also cause severe disease, and seems to be able to thwart some of the key weapons we have against COVID-19.
The researchers infected hamsters with BA.2 and BA.1 virus strains, respectively, and found that hamsters infected with BA.2 were more ill and had more severe lung damage. The researchers found that BA.2 may even circumvent some of the antibodies produced by the vaccine and are also resistant to some therapeutic drugs. The researchers of the experiment said: "Neutralization experiments have shown that vaccine-induced immunity does not work on BA.2 in the same way as it does on BA.1. ”
Cases of the BA.2 variant virus have been reported in many countries, and the World Health Organization estimates that BA.2 is about 30% more contagious than the current BA.1, and it has been found in 74 countries and 47 states in the United States. The subvariate virus accounts for 90% of all recent new cases in Denmark. The number of deaths from COVID-19 infection in Denmark has rebounded recently.
A study of more than 8,000 Danish families infected with Omikeron showed that the rise in BA.2 infection rates was caused by a variety of factors. Researchers, including epidemiologist and danish chair of the COVID-19 Variant Risk Assessment Committee, Troels Lillebaek, found that unvaccinated, dual-vaccinated, and boosted-vaccinated individuals were all more likely to be infected with BA.2 than BA.1 infection.
But Lillebaek said BA.2 could pose a greater challenge in places with lower vaccination rates. The variant's growth advantage over BA.1 means it can prolong peak infections in Theomekeron, thereby increasing the chances of infection in the elderly and other people at high risk for serious diseases.
But there's one bright spot: The antibodies in the blood of people who have recently been infected with the Omilon virus also seem to have some protection against BA.2, especially if they've also been vaccinated.
Deborah Fuller, a virologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said this raises an important point, and while BA.2 appears to be more contagious and pathogenic than Omicron, it may not ultimately lead to a more devastating wave of COVID-19 infections. Viruses are important, she said, but as potential hosts for it, we are also important. We are still racing against the virus, and it is not yet time for the community to lift the mask regulations.
California declared coexistence with the coronavirus
California last week pioneered a national initiative to weather the crisis phase of the pandemic and address the virus as a constantly controllable risk. Gov. Gavin Newsom said California must learn to live with the virus, using tools developed over the past two years to prepare as much as possible for an uncertain future.
Newsom said at a news conference last Thursday, "We all understand that one thing that was not understood at the beginning of this crisis is that it has no end date and no moment to declare victory." ”
California's plan relies on wastewater monitoring to detect rising virus transmission early. If state health officials receive a signal, they will use genetic sequencing to determine if a new variant is spreading. They will then decide within 45 days whether the current vaccines, tests and treatments are still effective for this strain. The state will also send additional testing and medical personnel to areas affected by the rise in the number of infected people.
As the Wave of Omikeron receded, there was a desire to move away from public health measures. The "Mask Order" in indoor public places in New York and California is set to expire this month, but the use of masks in schools is still in effect. New Jersey will remove the requirement to wear masks in schools in March.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said earlier this month that "it's not so much a declaration of victory as an acknowledgement that we can accept it responsibly." ”
Not long ago, the governors of Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware and Oregon issued a statement to lift the ban on masks, in addition to plans for public places such as shopping malls, and will lift the mandatory order for full mask wear in schools across the state from the end of February to March. Illinois Governor Pritzker also announced on the 9th that the state's indoor mandatory mask order will be cancelled from the 28th, but prisons, nursing homes and medical institutions, as well as public transportation, will continue to maintain the mask order.
As of now, 11 states have announced the lifting of the mask ban before and after, and it is not difficult to see the urgent expectations of the American people for the early return to normal life.
Nuzzo said it makes sense to remove mask regulations as Omilon fades in states with higher vaccination levels. However, she said it is still a good idea to choose to wear a mask in crowded indoor settings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may also update its mask guidelines soon.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said last week that the public health agency would focus more on hospitalizations when it issued guidance on how to respond to the virus in the future.
"We have to use hospital capacity as an extra important barometer," Walensky said, "and we want to free people from things like wearing masks when these metrics are better, and then when things get worse, have the ability to use masks again." ”
The UK will lift the restrictions on epidemic prevention in England
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on the 21st that all covid-19 prevention restrictions in England will be lifted, including self-isolation requirements for new crown patients.
Johnson announced the British government's new plan to "coexist with the new crown" in the lower house of parliament on the 21st, and is scheduled to legally lift all existing new crown restrictions in England from the 24th. At that time, people who test positive for COVID-19 will not need to self-isolate, and the government will no longer trace close contacts of COVID-19 patients.
Johnson said that until April 1, the government still recommends that people who test positive be isolated at home, after which it will be entirely up to the patients to decide. From 1 April, the UK government will no longer provide free COVID-19 testing to the elderly and immunocompromised people.
Johnson told MPs in parliament that britain's response to the outbreak was "shifting from government restrictions to personal responsibility", just as it would with other infectious diseases such as the flu.
"We now have enough levels of immunization to make the transition from protecting people with government interventions to vaccines and treatment as the first line of defense." Johnson said. But he stressed at a press conference on the same day: "Today is not the day we can announce the victory over the epidemic because the virus has not disappeared." ”
The UK Government plans to provide a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the second booster dose, to everyone aged 75 years and over and aged 12 years and over with underlying medical conditions.
According to the epidemic data released by the British government on the 21st, the daily increase in the number of confirmed cases of new crown in the United Kingdom is 38,409, with a cumulative total of more than 18.65 million confirmed cases; 15 new deaths, with a cumulative death of more than 160,000 cases. Reuters previously reported that the UK's COVID-19 mortality rate is 6% higher than the average mortality rate in European Union countries, based on population size.
Of the UK's population aged 12 and over, 85% have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and more than 66% have received the first booster dose.
Johnson's announcement of the new plan has attracted opposition from many experts and opposition parties.
Chris Whitty, chief medical officer of England, warned on the 21st that the spread rate of the new crown virus is still "very high". He urged COVID-19 patients to continue to self-isolate. He said new variants of the new coronavirus, some of which could be more resistant to vaccines, could pose "serious problems," he said.
Theresie Greenhaalch, a professor of primary care services at the University of Oxford, said: "What was announced on the 21st is not a plan to coexist with the new crown virus, but a plan to reduce testing costs and cut support for people infected with or likely to be infected with the new crown virus. ”
WHO envoy David Nabarro said the legal requirement to lift COVID-19 patients from self-isolation was "indeed very unwise" and that britain was "taking practices that run counter to the consensus of public health".
Kiel Stammer, leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, said the new measures were "not enough to prepare us for a new variant that may not yet be formed". He urged Johnson to publicly endorse the scientific advice that underpinned his decision.
The epidemic prevention policy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is generally formulated by the local government. Most of the restrictions have been lifted in these areas before, but the epidemic prevention attitude is more cautious than that of England.
Mark Drakeford, chief minister of the Welsh government and a member of the Labour Party, said any changes to the COVID-19 testing programme were "premature and reckless".
Source: Brokerage China
Original title:
wary! Amikeron is surprised by the new variant: more contagious and more toxic! It has appeared in 74 countries, and the UK has just lifted its epidemic prevention restrictions