Providing all eligible individuals with the recommended dose regimen should remain the current
priority for #COVID19 vaccination programmes in the EU/EEA.
All vaccines authorised in the EU/EEA are highly protective against COVID19 related hospitalisation, severe disease & death.
Administering an additional vaccine dose to people who may experience a limited response to the primary #COVID19 vaccination, such as some categories
of immunocompromised individuals, should already be considered now.
In context of many countries outside EU struggling to receive & administer enough vaccines to their populations, special consideration should be given to current global shortage of vaccines which could be worsened by the administration of boosters for general population in EU/EEA
These measures should always complement vaccination, in particular in high-risk settings such as care homes or hospitals with patients at risk of severe #COVID19.
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#ECDC & @WHO_Europe launch new surveillance tool for respiratory viruses to improve early detection.
The European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary - #ERVISS is a surveillance dashboard for #influenza, #RSV & #SARSCoV2 featuring a weekly epi summary
By providing a concise summary of the #epidemiological and #virological situation for respiratory virus infections, #ERVISS supports #PublicHealth decision-makers to take timely, well-informed decisions to limit the impact on healthcare systems and the wider public.
Where available, #ERVISS also presents laboratory testing and virus characterisation data for circulating pathogens, such as determining virus type/subtype/strain, susceptibility to antivirals and similarity to available vaccines.
#JustPublished!
#COVID19 transmission in the EU/EEA, #variants, and #PublicHealth considerations for autumn.
In recent weeks, signals of #SARSCoV2 transmission have increased from very low levels in the EU/EEA.
Report:
all info in the thread below ⬇️⬇️⬇️bit.ly/3Es239K
Factors unrelated to the genetic evolution of the virus likely contributed to increases in epi indicators, such as large gatherings and increased travel, as well as waning levels of immunological protection against infection – but not severe disease – in the population.
#COVID19
#SARSCoV2 is capable of acquiring mutations facilitating a continued circulation at unpredictable times all year round.
Recently observed increases in transmission have coincided with the emergence & dominance of a group of related #Omicron sub-lineages, #XBB15-like variants.
Aedes albopictus (a vector of #chikungunya & #dengue viruses) establishes itself further N and W in Europe.
Aedes aegypti (transmits #dengue, #YellowFever, #chikungunya, #zika & #WestNile) colonised Cyprus since 2022 & may continue to spread to other European countries.
Currently authorised vaccines continue to be effective at preventing hospitalisation, severe disease and death due to #COVID19.
However, protection against the virus declines over time as new #SARSCoV2 variants emerge.
In line with the outcome of recent meetings of international regulators and the @WHO, @EMA_News Emergency Task Force recommends updating vaccines to target #XBB strains (a subgroup of #Omicron), which have become dominant in Europe and other parts of the world.
Mathematical modelling indicates that #XBB15 could become dominant in the EU/EEA after 1-2 months, given the current low proportions reported in the EU/EEA & its estimated growth rate.
No signals of increased severity of XBB.1.5 compared to circulating omicron sub-lineages.
The proportion of XBB.1.5 in EU/EEA was lower than 2.5% for the final 2 weeks of '22 (the most recent period where variant proportions at this low level can be accurately estimated).
In the US, #XBB15 is currently spreading 12% faster than other variants. bit.ly/XBB15TAB