The coronavirus is on the rise again in 18 European countries including Britain, France, Italy and Germany, Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for the continent, told reporters on Tuesday.
He partly blamed a sudden change in policy in those countries, saying they had lifted the measures “brutally, from too much to too little”.
Many European countries re-imposed severe restrictions on social gatherings following the emergence of the Omicron variant last year, only to drastically scale back in early 2022 when data showed the strand was less strict than previous iterations.
Now the BA.2 subvariant is spurring a new round of infections on the continent – while Kluge said he remains “optimistic but vigilant” about the state of the pandemic on his patch.
His message also serves as a warning to the rest of the world. Subvariant BA.2 has halted the decline in infections in the United States and is projected to become the dominant source of Covid-19 cases there.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now estimates that 35% of new coronavirus cases are due to this subvariant. At the same time, restrictions are being lifted and not a single US state has more mask requirements (although some environments still require face coverings).
So should people adjust their plans? Experts say no – because while BA.2 appears to be more contagious than the original Omicron variant, it doesn’t appear to be more serious. Researchers in the UK and Denmark have found that BA.2 causes a similar level of hospitalization as BA.1, which already causes less severe disease than the previously dominant Delta variant.
“Most people shouldn’t worry,” added Dr. Leana Wen, a CNN medical analyst, emergency physician and professor of health policy and management in the School of Public Health at George Washington University’s Milken Institute.
“It is likely that the US will see an increase in Covid-19 cases in the coming weeks as this is the pattern we have seen before,” Wen said.
“Our government officials should prepare for what may be to come and increase the availability of tests and treatments and continue to urge people to get vaccines and booster shots. But I don’t think that’s something the general public should be unduly concerned about at this time.”
YOU ASKED. WE HAVE ANSWERED.
Q: Do I need an annual Covid-19 vaccine?
Public health experts are divided on what the future holds for Covid-19 vaccines – but some say it is becoming increasingly likely that these shots will be needed annually, much like flu shots are recommended every autumn.
“I expect this will be needed on a regular basis to keep it under control,” said Dr. Archana Chatterjee, dean of the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biologicals Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet on April 6 to discuss the need for booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the future, including how often they might be required – if at all.
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READING OF THE WEEK
Life with Covid means life in lockdown for England’s most vulnerable
Deepti Gurdasani has spent the last two years debunking Covid-19 myths and misinformation on TV and online. Her work as a clinical epidemiologist means she is well placed to speak out about the coronavirus. But she also has a deeply personal understanding of the dangers of the pandemic.
Gurdasani is one of 3.7 million people in England living with underlying or pre-existing chronic health conditions. Exactly two years ago, on March 23, 2020, when Britain first went into lockdown at the start of the pandemic, they were told by authorities to “shield” at home and minimize all face-to-face contact.
All remaining legal Covid-19 restrictions were scrapped in England last month as part of the UK Government’s ‘Living with Covid’ plan. But the experts CNN spoke to agreed that high-risk groups should be prevented from contracting Covid-19 in the first place, writes Isabelle Jani-Friend.
China’s zero-Covid policy shows signs of strain But giving it up now could be a disaster
Multiple outbreaks across China this month represented the country’s biggest spike in local infections since the first outbreak in Wuhan was brought under control in early 2020, reports Simone McCarthy.
Authorities have focused for two years on keeping Covid-19 off China’s borders and containing its spread. But now that his defense is facing the highly transmissible BA.2 subvariant for the first time, questions are being raised about the sustainability of ‘zero Covid’ as experts say the country is turning to the ‘living with the virus’ alternative is still unprepared. “
China is combating this Covid-19 outbreak with low vaccination rates among the elderly, ailing health systems and a large percentage of the general population who have not been exposed to the virus.
“This is just the beginning”: Research into Covid-19 opens doors to understanding other diseases and conditions
The billions of dollars invested so far in Covid vaccines and Covid-19 research are expected to yield medical and scientific dividends for decades to come, helping doctors fight flu, cancer, cystic fibrosis and many more diseases, reports Kaiser’s Liz Szabo Health News.
“This is just the beginning,” said Dr. Judith James, vice president of clinical affairs for the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. “We won’t see those dividends in their full glory for years.”
Building on the success of mRNA vaccines for Covid, scientists hope to develop mRNA-based vaccines against a variety of pathogens, including influenza, Zika, rabies, HIV and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which kills three million children under the age of 5 every year hospitalized worldwide.
TOP TIP
Do you have a sore throat, runny nose and muscle aches? It could be a cold, seasonal allergies – or Covid-19.
Covid-19 cases continue to spread as the US moves into the season when allergies are on the rise. It’s important to know if you’re feeling unwell because of seasonal cold or the coronavirus.
According to the CDC, both Covid and the flu often cause symptoms such as fever, fatigue, body aches, sore throat, shortness of breath and vomiting or diarrhea.
Covid infection can be distinguished by the headache and dry cough that often accompanies it. Loss of taste and smell, which was the biggest warning sign of Covid infection, is still a possible symptom.
Here’s what you need to do to protect yourself this allergy season.
TODAY’S PODCAST
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok – let’s face it, social media has become a central part of our lives. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to social media researcher Dar Meshi about what it does to our brains. Listen.