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.
Both agencies (@ECDC_EU & @EMA_News) note that monovalent vaccines (vaccines targeting only one strain such as XBB.1.5) are a reasonable choice to provide protection against current dominant and emerging strains.
Timely vaccination ahead of a potential autumn and winter 2023 surge of #COVID19 cases is essential for protecting people from severe COVID-19 and health systems from being overwhelmed.
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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.
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
A number of European countries (IE, FR, NL, ES, SE and UK) indicate an increase seen during 2022, particularly since September, in the number of cases of invasive Group A Streptococcus (#iGAS) disease among children less than ten years of age.
During the same period, several deaths associated with #iGAS in children less than 10 years of age have also been reported. The increase has been several-fold higher than pre-pandemic levels for the equivalent period of time.