Brussels (agencies)
Europe appears to be facing a new wave of Covid-19 with the advent of cold weather, while public health experts warn that failure to receive vaccines and confusion about the types available will likely limit the reception of booster doses.
The two Omicron PA4 and PA5 mutant strains that dominated this summer are still behind the majority of infections, but newer mutated strains of Omicron are becoming more common.
WHO officials said this week that scientists are tracking hundreds of new forms of omicron.
And the organization’s data released late on Wednesday evening showed that cases in the European Union reached 1.5 million last week, an increase of eight percent from the previous week, despite the significant decline in testing, and globally, infections continue to decline.
And the number of injured people admitted to hospitals in many countries of the 27-nation bloc, as well as in Britain, during the past few weeks.
As of September, Europe began vaccinating with Omicron vaccines, including two types targeting the (PA.1), (PA.4) and (PA.5) strains, in addition to the first generation vaccines. But in Britain, the authorities have authorized the use of only doses intended for the PA1 strain. European and British officials allowed the latest booster doses to be given to only a specific group of people, including the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.
Public health experts said that what complicates matters further is the “choice” of the type of vaccine to take a booster dose of, which will likely add to the confusion.
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