BA.4 and BA.5 sublineages are more contagious than original omicron
They are very expansive and capable of circumventing the immunity of the antibodies produced both by natural infection and by the vaccine.
The wave continues to rise, but in our neighbor Portugal, the data has been down for a week
–
When it seemed that the pandemic was coming to an end, with the elimination of masks and restrictive measures, the seventh wave has arrived stomping. What began as a ‘silent wave’, among other things due to the lack of control that is being carried out from health, now seems to be a real problem that is leading some politicians, such as the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, to ask that vulnerable population to protect themselves again to avoid serious consequences. Although the numbers are shot, there are more than 800 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, it is true that most are mild and are marked by two sublineages of omicron. We tell you.
–
BA.4 and BA.5 the culprits of everything
Ómicron continues to be the protagonist for one more wave. The problem is that It has nothing to do with the one we met back in Decemberbut has been evolving and has turned into BA.4 and BA.5, two sublineages that, according to Health, do not stop growing and represent between 20 and 76% of infections, depending on the communities.
–
Is about two very contagious sublineages, more than the original strain, so they are very expansive and able to circumvent the immunity of the antibodies produced by both natural infection and the vaccine, according to several studies. That’s why it is possible that a person had the disease this winter and has it again now.
–
–
Despite this, it is not about more serious infections, but quite the opposite, so vaccines continue to show a high level of protection against both severe disease and death. But as infections grow, inevitably so do hospitalizations, which are already close to 10,000. The fear of the doctors is that this wave will not stabilize and the cases will grow so much that the situation of the hospitals will end up being critical when the summer vacations (also from health) just begin.
–
What is expected of this wave?
As happened on previous occasions, it is difficult to make an exact prediction. While is true that in Portugal, which started with the wave weeks before us, it has already been going down. There the peak was recorded with 3,600 diagnoses per 100,000 inhabitants, yes, with a different accounting system. Although not entirely representative, it is true that waves often repeat similar patterns In all countries.
–
Some voices speak of another dose to be able to stop the spread, however, Health does not have plans to inject it until after the summer. The reason is that these months are expected to serve to develop and approve new antidotes that are more effective against new variants. In addition, for the moment, there is only talk of reinforcements in people over 80 years of age.
—
