“It is too early to find out if these new subvariants can cause more serious forms of the disease”, specifies the WHO.
by (with AFP)
Two new omicron subvariants, whose virulence is still to be determined, are at the origin of the new COVI-19 wave in South Africa, said WADD on Wednesday.
The country, which is officially the most affected on the continent by the COVVI-19, has entered a new pandemic wave, had warned at the end of April the center for innovation and the response to epidemics, CERI .
“South African scientists who identified Omicron at the end of last year have now reported two other omicron, Ba. 4 and BA.5 subvariants, as being the source of a Pic of cases in South Africa, “said the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at a press conference.
“It is too early to know if these new subvariants can cause more serious forms of the disease than other omicron subvariants”, but the first data suggest that the vaccine continues to offer a good Protection against the severe forms of COVVI-19 and to reduce the risks of death, said the director general of WHO. 2> less than 45 % of the vaccinated population
South Africa, where less than 45 % of the adult population is fully vaccinated, had experienced at the beginning of March a period of forty-eight hours without any death linked to the COVID-19, a first since 2020. The President, Cyril Ramaphosa, had announced at the beginning of April the lifting of all legal restrictions linked to the pandemic.
“The best way to protect the population remains vaccination, as well as social and public health measures that have proven themselves,” noted Tedros adhanom ghebreyesus.
WHO has recorded more than 6.2 million dead worldwide since the start of the pandemic. Many believe that real figures are much higher.
“On a global scale, the numbers of [new] cases of COVID-19 and linked deaths continue to decrease, the weekly deaths reported being at their lowest level since March 2020”, said the director general of WHO.
Increase in America and Africa
At the regional level, however, WHO notes an increase in cases on African and American continents, carried by omicron subvariants.
Its Director General deplored the reduction of screening activities in certain countries which prevents monitoring the evolution of the virus and obliges WHO to pilot “blind” the pandemic.
“The Ba.4 and Ba subvariants have been identified because South Africa always performs genetic sequencing [of the virus], which other countries have ceased to do,” said Tedros Adhanom ghebreyesus. “In many countries, we cannot see how the virus is silent. We don’t know what awaits us,” he added.