Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned about the emergence of a new variant of the coronavirus during the upcoming winter. He added in a talk at the USC Annenberg School for Communication that we should not be surprised by the appearance of a new variant that may be more dangerous than previous ones, capable of evading the immune response we have developed through infection or vaccination, according to a report published by CNBC.
Fauci emphasized the need to not "let our guard down" as there is always a risk of a slight increase in the spread of infection during the winter months, confirming that we cannot say definitively that we have "completely finished with the pandemic." The report notes that the average number of COVID-19-related deaths in the United States last week was 323, compared to death rates of 1,000-2,500 during February and March, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Fauci recalled the summer of 2021 when the United States saw a decline in COVID-19 data, but last winter saw the emergence of the Omicron variant, which began to spread again in America. CDC data indicates that 81% of COVID-19 cases are currently attributed to the Omicron variant.
Fauci expressed concern that any new variant may be able to surpass the immunity we have gained during the past period, especially since the effectiveness of vaccines against recent variants has been lower than against earlier strains. These concerns are not limited to the United States; a report by Reuters warned that Europe will face a new wave of COVID-19 with the arrival of cold weather, while public health experts have warned that a lack of vaccination and confusion regarding available types may likely limit the uptake of booster shots.
This week, World Health Organization officials stated that scientists are tracking hundreds of new Omicron forms. Recent data from the organization showed that cases in the European Union reached 1.5 million last week, an increase of eight percent from the previous week, despite a significant decrease in testing. Globally, infections continue to decline. Hospitalizations have risen in several countries within the 27-nation bloc, as well as in the UK, over the past few weeks.
