The summer wave of coronavirus infections is accelerating. Today, a record of new cases has been broken – there have been 5 cases. 649, which is the most since the Omikron variant harvested this spring. The sublines, in particular BA.5, are responsible for the new wave. – We have returned to the level of disease from last autumn. (…) We will still have a lot of such “twists” – predicts Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski, an immunologist and pediatrician.
- According to the expert, one of the reasons for the current wave of infections is that the virus mutates in two directions
- – One direction is to improve the effectiveness of attacking our cells, that is, infectivity, the other is to escape our immunity – he explains
- According to Dr. Grzesiowski, the worst in the current situation is the fact that the number of severe infection courses in risk groups is increasing
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Today, the Ministry of Health (MZ) informed about 5 thousand. 649 new coronavirus infections. This is the highest daily number of cases in the current wave of infections and the highest since March 30 this year, when 5 were recorded. 742 infections. Since then, this number has fallen steadily, with 200-300 COVID-19 infections reported daily in June.
The jump took place at the end of June, which was most likely due to three factors: the spread of the dangerous subline of the Omikron variant (BA.5), the expiring immunity from vaccination and the failure to comply with basic sanitary and epidemiological rules. All these reasons are highlighted by Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski, an immunologist and pediatrician, whom we asked for a comment on the current epidemiological situation.
The Western world was eager to say goodbye to the pandemic, but the liberal approach to the virus turned out to be wrong. We have another wave in the middle of summer. We have returned to the incidence rate from last fall. Worse still, Omikron BA.5 causes an increase in morbidity in risk groups and the number of hospitalizations, which is always at risk of death.
The pandemic has not gone away, it is just going through the next phases. In the spring it seemed that it was behind us and the virus became flu-like, today the situation is changing. We will have a lot of such “twists” because the virus constantly mutates in two directions.
One direction is to improve the effectiveness of attacking our cells, i.e. infectivity, the other is to escape our immunity. These genetic changes take place all the time, the virus, changing from month to month, bypasses our immunity, be it vaccine or healed – and hence the new waves of infection.
According to Dr. Grzesiowski, we will experience such situations until the virus has stabilized genetically. It may take several years. However, the expert points out one factor that could accelerate this process. This is a new vaccine that would be less susceptible to new virus variants.
– More than a dozen intranasal vaccine projects are undergoing clinical trials that could bring a breakthrough in the fight against the pandemic. Until then, we must use the resources we have – the next doses of vaccines, masks, disinfection, air purification, avoiding close contact in closed rooms and testing the sick – the doctor advises.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time Joanna Kozłowska, author of the book High Sensitivity. A Guide for Those Who Feel Too Much »says that high sensitivity is not a disease or dysfunction – it’s just a set of characteristics that affect the way you perceive and perceive the world. What are the genetics of WWO? What are the perks of being highly sensitive? How to act with your high sensitivity? You will find out by listening to the latest episode of our podcast.