2. Is it a variant against which there is no defense?
Despite the scary name, there is no reason to panic. According to experts, it may be slightly more contagious, but this is not a variant that would mark the beginning of a new anti-pandemic fight. “There is no evidence that this variant is more dangerous than the existing ones. It is one of several hundred known subvariants of the original Omikron variant,” explains immunologist Václav Hořejší. Along with the BQ.1 variant, the BQ.1.1 variant is also found in other European countries.
Flu and covid are heading to the Czech Republic at the same time. Get vaccinated, doctors urge
3. Will it take vaccinations?
Although these are new variants, vaccinated people will still be protected and vaccination remains a key defense. “These variants are characterized by mutations that have the potential to allow the virus to evade immune surveillance more effectively,” notes virologist Ruth Tachezy. “Therefore, it will be dangerous for unvaccinated and at-risk people and those who have had a long time since their last vaccination or illness,” adds the virologist.
4. What mutation of covid is now dominant?
The dominant mutation is Omikron and its subvariants. “Possibly, in some countries, recombinants of previous variants,” adds Tachezy. Models from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) predict that BQ.1 and its subvariant BQ1.1 will become the dominant covid mutation from mid-November to early December this year.
5. Should we expect more variants?
According to experts, yes. Several thousand variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are known. And according to experts, the mutation process of viruses, especially RNA viruses, to which covid belongs, is natural and spontaneous. “New variants arise in practically every infected individual, but the vast majority of them are not viable. If a variant that is more infectious and better able to escape the immune defenses appears on a relatively rare occasion, it has an advantage over the currently prevailing variants and wins the competition with them,” points out Václav Hořejší. Whether such a new variant causes a milder or more severe disease is not directly related to this.
Infectologist Milan Trojánek: Do not rely on long-term immunity after covid
6. What is the infectious situation now?
As of Monday, November 7, according to data from the Ministry of Health, 495 people were hospitalized in hospitals, the number of newly confirmed cases in one week per 100,000 inhabitants was 45. According to Václav Hořejší, the epidemic situation is very good. “The number of people hospitalized with covid and the number of deaths related to this disease is acceptably low and continues to decrease,” he confirms.
The situation is not deteriorating dramatically either in Europe or in the world. The reason is the vaccination of the population as well as the immunity acquired by experiencing the disease. But it is not lifelong. “It weakens over time, which is why it is important that people from risk groups who have not had the disease receive a second booster dose of the vaccine,” advises Václav Hořejší.
