Although the epidemic in the United States is still dominated by the BA.5 variant, the proportion of new variants is increasing, which has made US health officials smell an unsettling atmosphere.
The latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that in the week ending October 8, the early mutant strain of BA.5 accounted for 79.2% of the new cases of the new coronavirus in the United States, meaning that nearly 80% of new patients were infected with the early mutant strain of BA.5. It is worth mentioning that this proportion once climbed to around 87% in August. The main reason for the decline in the proportion of
BA.5 is that the proportion of BA.4.6 and the branch BF.7, which evolved from BA.5, is increasing. Among them, BF.7 accounted for 4.6%, compared with only 1.3% a month ago. In addition, the number of BF.7 infections in many European countries such as Belgium and Germany is also increasing.
JT McCrone of Helix, a gene sequencing company that tracks variants of the new coronavirus, said that the two sub-mutations of the Omickron may continue to increase and lead to a new wave of the new coronavirus epidemic. "We will see more cases (more than in the summer), and new variants may appear in it."
BF.7 is a descendant of BA.5, the former added the mutation R346T based on the latter. Some medical experts predict that the mutation may make BF.7's immune escape ability stronger than the original BA.5. In addition, within the week when the proportion of BF.7 increased significantly, the number of new deaths from new crown in the United States was nearly 3,000.
Previously, American infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci warned that a new and more dangerous new coronavirus variant in the United States is likely to appear this winter and urged Americans not to relax their guard. "There is likely another new variant in the United States that will escape human immunity."
Yesterday, White House new coronavirus coordinator Ashish Jha said at a briefing that the government is tracking several Omickron variants with strong immune escape ability, and many measures are almost ineffective.
Jia said health officials expect the number of infections to increase between November and January next year, and it is difficult to predict whether the amplitude will be large as the virus is evolving. He added that Americans should receive their new booster needles by Halloween (November 1).
Jia also criticized the US Congress for failing to pass the additional $22 billion in response to the new crown epidemic requested by the White House. Americans are likely to not get enough protective equipment and COVID-19 testing reagents, and the development of next-generation vaccines and treatments may also stagnate due to lack of funds.
Source: Cailianshe
Original title: The proportion of BF.7 cases in the United States has increased significantly. White House officials are facing a major enemy, and health experts pay close attention to
