The number of people infected with the coronavirus is increasing dramatically in European countries. There are two reasons

A few weeks after the peak of the fifth wave, COVID-19 infections are rising again in European countries. In some countries, the numbers of new cases are dramatically high. Why is this happening? Specialists point out two possible reasons.

1. In Poland, we are witnessing the extinction of the fifth wave of the coronavirus, while in many countries of our continent infections are starting to rise again
2. The renewed increases coincided with the easing of restrictions in the countries of Western Europe
3. The situation is particularly bad in Germany and Austria. There, a few days ago, there were records of infections counted from the beginning of the pandemic
4. Germany’s Minister of Health described the situation in the country as “critical”
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Germany – COVID-19 infection record

In Germany on March 10, over 300 jobs were recorded. new coronavirus infections. This is the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic, more than during the fifth wave, when the daily number of cases did not exceed 250. The number of deaths is also worrying. On March 8, 583 people died. This is the highest number since February 2021. No wonder that the sixth wave caused by sub-variant BA.2 is starting to be talked about, although some experts believe that this is still the unfinished fifth wave.

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach says the death toll will increase in the coming weeks. He described the situation in the country as “critical”. He noted that resignation from all restrictions would be a mistake.

Germany is currently in the second stage of easing the restrictions. As part of it, trade restrictions and those related to people-to-people contacts were abolished. The third and the last is to take place on March 20, although the federal state governments will be able to restore restrictions where the epidemic situation is exceptionally bad.

Increase in infections in Great Britain

Infections have also risen in the UK, though not as dramatically as in Germany. On March 10, the number of new infections approached 73. This is an increase of almost 50 percent. compared to last week’s data. The number of hospitalizations and deaths also increased (1 people died on March 15, 212 a week later).

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The increases mainly affect people aged 55 and over, although they actually cover all groups, including the double vaccinated.

The rise in new COVID-19 cases across the population and in the elderly is worrying. In addition, for the first time in a long time, we also observe an increase in hospitalization – said prof. Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at King’s College London and creator of the ZOE Study application collecting data on coronavirus patients in the UK.

Spector added that the increases in infections “were expected after restrictions were lifted”. In his opinion, high epidemic rates will persist in the near future.

Austria – infection record

In Austria, a few days ago, the number of new infections reached levels not seen since the start of the pandemic. On March 10 and 11, the local health ministry informed about over 49 thousand. illnesses. The numbers of deaths, hospitalizations and people in the ICU have not increased yet, but the doctors there emphasize that they are on the verge of exhaustion.

“We’re running out of beds, some staff exhausted, pissed, or infected. Some quit their jobs or look for another, said Harald Mayer, vice president of the local doctors’ union.

The increase in infections in Austria came a week after “Freedom Day”, the day when most of the restrictions were lifted. On March 5, covid passports no longer apply in the vast majority of the country, and the order to wear masks applies only to means of transport and supermarkets. The idea of ​​introducing compulsory vaccinations against COVID-19 was also abandoned.

Vienna is an exception. There, the 2G rule still applies (admission only for vaccinated or convalescents), and masks must be worn in all closed rooms. The mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, was one of the biggest critics of easing the restrictions, and has now called on the health ministry to “take the rise in the number of infected people seriously”.

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The Austrian coronavirus commission also called for a return to some security measures. The most common talk is about the re-order to wear masks in all closed rooms.

Growth in Europe – why is this happening?

A significant increase in COVID-10 infections is also visible in Switzerland, the graphs are increasing – albeit much more slowly – in the Netherlands, France, Italy, Portugal, Belgium and Greece. On March 11, in Ireland, the bar showing new cases (9) was more than twice as large as the day before (125).

In most cases, the increases appear several weeks after the marked decreases in the number of infections in the fifth pandemic. Why is this happening? Two main reasons are mentioned.

Many countries of the western part of our continent began to ease their restrictions in February – covid passports have ceased to apply, the limits of people in the rooms will disappear, and masks are valid in the most crowded places, i.e. means of transport, shops and some offices.

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Added to this is the Omicron sub-variant known as BA.2. In many places, it is starting to displace the earlier sub-variant BA.1. BA.2. was first detected in November, the attention of epidemiologists in February. At that time, the World Health Organization raised concerns that it could cause a re-increase in infections. BA.2 does not, according to most specialists, cause a more severe course of the disease, but it cannot be ruled out with certainty. It is definitely much more contagious.

Frederik Plesner of the Danish infectious disease control agency (SSI) reported in late January that BA.2 was down 33%. more contagious than BA.1. «If you have been in contact with Omikron BA.2 at home, there are 39 percent. chance of infection within seven days. With the BA.1 sub-option, the probability in the same circumstances is 29%. » – he noted.

How widespread is BA.2?

According to WHO information on March 8, almost all the virus samples sequenced worldwide in the past 30 days were for the Omikron variant. Sub-option BA.2 then accounted for 34,2 percent. samples.

This is the average worldwide. The prevalence of BA.2 varies greatly between countries. In the United States, it is not yet dominant. According to the data of the local agency, the CDC was responsible for 11,6 percent. infections in the week ending March 5. In the previous week, it corresponded to 6,6 percent.

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When we look at the chart showing infections in the USA, the bars are constantly decreasing, the trend in Western Europe is not here.

BA.2 is dominant in Europe. According to data from the British Health Safety Agency, on March 4 it accounted for 84 percent. positive SARS-CoV-2 virus tests in that country.

In Poland, according to the GISAID database, Omikron is responsible for 98 percent. coronavirus cases. A few days ago, the Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań informed that in the samples tested by the institute, this variant was responsible for 100 percent of the illnesses, while the sub-option BA.2 was present in 47 percent. tested samples.

– The percentage found in the IGC PAN research can be considered representative for the Polish population in the last week of February. It should be predicted that the BA.2 sub-option will soon dominate the SARS-CoV-2 virus pool in our country – informed the director of the Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Prof. dr hab. n. med. Michał Witt.

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See also:

1. The 20 most common symptoms of COVID-19. Among them, the popular symptom of Omicron
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3. I’ve never had a coronavirus. Should I be worried or happy?