04/01/2023 17:09 (act. 04/01/2023 17:09)
WHO concerned about new crown variant ©APA/dpa
The World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned about the new variant of the XBB.1.5 coronavirus. The variant discovered in October is more easily transferable than any of the previously known variants, WHO corona expert Maria van Kerkhove said on Wednesday in Geneva. According to the available genetic analyzes of the virus, it is spreading mainly in the US and Europe and has already been detected in 29 countries.
It is a subset of the omicron variant that has been circulating since late 2021. A risk analysis is underway and will be published soon, van Kerkhove said.
The US health agency, CDC, estimated earlier this year that XBB.1.5 was responsible for about 40.5% of all new infections in the US in the week before the turn of the year. “In recent weeks, reports of hospitalizations and pressure on health systems have increased, particularly in regions of the northern hemisphere where respiratory diseases such as influenza are also rampant,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
In view of the corona wave in China, WHO continues to press for more information from Chinese authorities. Tedros expressed understanding for countries that have introduced testing regulations for travelers from China. “We continue to call on China to provide faster, more regular and reliable data on hospital admissions and deaths, as well as more comprehensive real-time virus sequencing,” said Tedros. “Since virus circulation in China is so high and comprehensive data is not provided, it is understandable that some countries are taking steps to protect their own citizens.” The requirement for the tests is not travel restrictions, said WHO emergency response coordinator Mike Ryan.
He criticized China’s narrow definition of corona death statistics. Only those infected who die from respiratory problems are counted. According to the WHO, however, the complications that can lead to death from Covid-19 are much more extensive. The Chinese definition is too narrow, Ryan said. The WHO therefore assumes that the actual death toll from Covid 19 is significantly higher.