Future COVID-19 Variants , Will Be More Contagious, , WHO Says.
Future COVID-19 Variants , Will Be More Contagious, , WHO Says.
CNBC reports officials with the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest future variants of the coronavirus will be just as infectious as Omicron, if not more transmissible.
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Whether or not they will be as deadly remains to be seen.
According to CNBC, nearly 21 million new cases of COVID-19 were reported to the WHO in the last week.
Though Omicron thus far has been less virulent than previous strains, officials say the influx of new cases has had devastating impacts on hospitals around the world.
The next variant of concern will be more fit, and what we mean by that is it will be more transmissible because it will have to overtake what is currently circulating.
, Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead at WHO, via CNBC.
The big question is whether or not future variants will be more or less severe.
, Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead at WHO, via CNBC.
Officials caution against accepting the theory that COVID-19 is mutating into milder strains.
There is no guarantee of that.
We hope that that is the case, but there is no guarantee of that and we can’t bank on it.
, Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead at WHO, via CNBC.
A study from the U.K. Health Security Agency found that booster doses of coronavirus vaccines are nearly 75% effective in preventing symptomatic Omicron infections.
The study also found that after ten weeks, the protection from a booster dose wanes dramatically, dropping to around 45% efficacy.
The study also found that after ten weeks, the protection from a booster dose wanes dramatically, dropping to around 45% efficacy
