Covid: what is happening in European countries where restrictions have been lifted? – Europe – International

In recent days, some countries in Europe, such as Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom, have begun to register a new increase in covid cases.

So far, a sustained increase in the number of deaths from the disease in these places has not yet been observed.

According to experts consulted by BBC News Brazil, two factors may be behind this increase: the spread of the BA.2 variant, a “cousin” of the omicron, and the end of the main preventive policies, such as the use of masks in closed places.

Studies carried out in Denmark indicate that this BA.2 variant is 1.5 times more transmissible than the “original” omicron -also known as BA.1-, which, in turn, was already one of the most transmissible variants.

In practice, BA.2 has become dominant in some of those countries that are now experiencing an increase in cases.

For example, in the United Kingdom it is present in 68.6% of positive samples sequenced in laboratories.

A few weeks ago, the BA.1 was the predominant in these same tests.

BA.2 has also spread across Asia and is responsible for the all-time record number of cases and deaths in Hong Kong, China and South Korea recently.

In some countries, the end of restrictions seen during the pandemic fueled the advancement of this more transmissible variant.

In many of these places, the use of masks in closed rooms is no longer mandatory, mass testing programs have been paralyzed and the recommendation that infected patients remain in isolation has been forgotten.

Difference of opinions

Some experts believe that these measures were abandoned too soon.

Others understand that relaxing the measures adopted during the pandemic is reasonable and expected, given the decrease in the overall death rate from covid and the wide availability of effective vaccines and treatments.

Especially in the richer nations.

And it should be remembered here that the current increase in cases is not a generalized phenomenon throughout the European continent: Portugal and Spain, for example, continue with downward covid statistics.

According to experts, these data can be explained by the fact that these countries have a kind of “immunological baggage”.

That is, more immunity due to a combination of high vaccination rates among the population and recent waves of covid cases.

This is the opposite scenario to that seen in places like Germany and Austria, where vaccination did not progress after reaching a certain level and there was no high transmission of the coronavirus in previous months.

But has this new spike in cases already caused a spike in covid deaths?

In European countries, there is currently no sustained increase in deaths.

As cases have recently started to increase, it will be necessary to wait a few more weeks to see if this happens (or not).

It is also too early to say whether this situation affecting parts of Europe will be repeated in Brazil: the country is now experiencing a drop in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

It is necessary to observe how the arrival of colder days, the lifting of preventive measures in several cities and states, and the spread of the BA.2 variant will influence this pandemic scenario.

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