New Covid Subvariant Leads to an Increase in Cases

The new BA.2 subvariant of Covid has emerged in some European countries and experts are blaming the removal of pandemic restrictions. 18 European countries, including the UK, France, Italy, and Germany are facing rises in Covid cases. World health Organization (WHO) regional director Hans Kluge announced the news yesterday and is blaming the sudden policy changes regarding pandemic restrictions. He says the lifted measures are “brutal, from too much to too few.” Many European countries have lifted much of their restrictions early this year but it is unclear if they should be reinstated.

The BA.2 subvariant has popped up across the globe and has halted the cline of infections in the United States. According to the CDC, up to 35% of new cases are due to this subvariant. New infections in the US are down 96% from pandemic records but with the prevalence of BA.2, the decrease is beginning to plateau. However, even though the new variant spreads 80% faster than Omicron (CNBC), it still does not pose a serious threat to those who are vaccinated. Because of this, restrictions are continually being lifted and all 50 states have removed overall mask mandates. Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci has spoken out saying that there's no need to reimplement Covid restrictions and that there most likely won’t be a surge. Still, it is better to be safe than sorry. Those who have gotten both doses and their booster shot are more than 90% protected against hospitalization and death and those with only two doses have up to 70% protection.

Cases may continue to rise, but the US has now shifted their focus from regulations to hospitalizations when assessing the threat the virus poses. Additionally, when asked about the variants implications concerning travel, Dr. Leana Wen, a professor of health policy and management at George Washington University, explained that while there may be some uncertainty, there is little risk for those that are vaccinated. She recommends wearing a mask in crowded indoor settings and to know the rules of places you are traveling to. Severe illness has been limited and, for the average person, BA.2 will only lead to mild illness. While this may be true, allowing the virus to spread without taking any precautions may lead to another outbreak. The more the virus spreads, the more chances for mutation and while the chances that it becomes more deadly are slim, it is always a possibility. Governments must balance possible outbreaks with returning to “normal” and there is no easy solution. 

Questions:

Do you think we should continue to have pandemic restrictions? To what extent should we have them?

How do you feel about the new variant? What about future variants?

How does education influence the way people see Covid?

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/23/world/coronavirus-newsletter-intl-23-03-22/index.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/23/covid-omicron-bapoint2-subvariant-will-soon-dominate-in-us-but-fauci-doesnt-expect-another-surge.html

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/22/health/omicron-covid-variant-wellness/index.html

https://www.wsj.com/articles/omicron-ba-2-variant-represents-rising-share-of-u-s-covid-19-cases-11647979879