The suspicion of many experts is that the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of Covid-19 may represent a signal in the change of the virus, so much so as to cause periodic waves.
BA.5 (sub-variant of Omicron), announced in South Africa and arrived in Europe, would be at the basis of the sudden increase in infections in Portugal and is the first suspected also for the increase in cases in Germany. From the first data it has at least two mutations that make it more contagious than its sisters, namely the other sub-variants of Omicron that we have so far learned about, first of all BA.2. An exception instead for BA.4, in which the same mutations have been identified.
But, according to virologist Francesco Broccolo (Bicocca University of Milan), "it is really premature to say that the SarsCoV2 virus is weakening".
According to the numbers provided by the Ministry of Health, in Italy there is a constant decrease in positives and hospitalizations and the data of the victims are more or less stationary. In 24 hours, the new cases increased from 22,527 to 15,082, identified by means of 123,699 tests, including molecular and rapid antigenic, and a positivity rate of 12.1%. The dead were 27, or 20 fewer in one day. As for hospitalizations, they are stable at 218 in intensive care, with 18 admissions per day; in ordinary departments there are 4,411, or 31 less in one day.
In our country, as in the rest of the world, Omicron is the variant that absolutely dominates.
(Unioneonline / ss)