Daily infection rates in the five-digit range and increasing hospital occupancy: Against this background, the National Covid Crisis Coordination Center, abbreviated Gecko, is advising to wear more FFP2 masks again – especially on public transport and indoors. The task force also advises to make use of the corona test offer.
In addition, the Gecko Commission, which met at the beginning of this week, once again emphasized the importance of the corona vaccination and the Covid 19 medication: “Both make an important contribution to protecting against serious diseases.”
Omikron BA.5 currently dominates
93 percent of the infection process in Austria is dominated by the ommicron subvariant BA.5 (according to AGES/IMBA surveillance and wastewater sequencing). The virus variants BA.4 and BA.2 also occur in waste water. The sub-variant BA.2.75 can also be detected in several sewage treatment plants in Austria, the task force reports. In the individual case analyzes by AGES/IMBA, BA.2.75 accounted for 1.16 percent of the individual cases evaluated. Other ommicron subvariants occur sporadically.
“The development and description of new variants of the coronavirus has been very dynamic in recent weeks,” says virologist and Gecko member Andreas Bergthaler. Based on the globally distributed omicron variants – especially BA.2 and BA.5 – several sub-variants have been developed, some of which show significant regional growth benefits.
Strong selection pressure, increased fitness of the mutations
“What is particularly striking is that the same mutations in different genetic backgrounds have repeatedly arisen independently of each other. This indicates a strong selection pressure and/or a significantly increased fitness of these mutations.”
A new Covid-19 vaccine adapted to Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 is available in Austria. This is judged to be particularly effective.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
