Fourth wave of Covid-19: 'Omicron BA2 subvariant spreading fast as nations lift curbs'

Brussels: Cases of Omicron BA2, a Covid-19 subvariant, are rising across the European Union (EU) as member nations were lifting restrictions, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said.

"While many EU countries are lifting restrictions, we notice that the infection rates are increasing again in some member states, partly because of the circulation of Omicron BA2, which seems to be more transmissible than other variants," Xinhua news agency quoted Marco Cavalieri, head of the EMA`s strategy on biological health threats and vaccines, as saying to journalists here on Thursday.

What matters the most, he said, is how this increase in cases will stress the healthcare systems. The EMA called non-vaccinated citizens to get jabbed as soon as possible, emphasizing that there are now five Covid-19 jabs authorised in the EU using different technologies.

"There is currently no evidence that immune response after vaccination is significantly different with Omicron BA2. Vaccines continue to offer high protection against hospitalization and death," he said.

The vaccines that have received conditional marketing authorisation from the EMA are those produced by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen and Novavax.

It may be noted that the WHO recently warned nations to remain vigilant against the Covid-19 virus. Figures showing a global rise in Covid-19 cases could herald a much bigger problem as some countries also report a drop in testing rates, the WHO said on Tuesday. 

After more than a month of decline, Covid-19 cases started to increase around the world last week, the WHO said, with lockdowns in Asia and China`s Jilin province battling to contain an outbreak.

A combination of factors was causing the increases, including the highly transmissible Omicron variant and its BA.2 sublineage, and the lifting of public health and social measures, the WHO said.

"This increase is occurring despite reductions in testing in some countries, which means the cases we`re seeing are just the tip of the iceberg," WHO`s head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

Low vaccination rates in some countries, driven partly by a "huge amount of misinformation" also explained the rise, WHO officials said. New infections jumped by 8% globally compared to the previous week, with 11 million new cases and just over 43,000 new deaths reported from March 7-13. It is the first rise since the end of January.

The biggest jump was in the WHO`s Western Pacific region, which includes South Korea and China, where cases rose by 25% and deaths by 27%.

Africa also saw a 12% rise in new cases and a 14% rise in deaths, and Europe a 2% rise in cases but no jump in deaths. Other regions reported declining cases, including the eastern Mediterranean region, although this area saw a 38% rise in deaths linked to a previous spike in infections.

A number of experts have raised concerns that Europe faces another coronavirus wave, with cases rising since the beginning of March in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.