2023-08-10 14:10:08
The Covid Eris or “EG.5 variant is on the rise in different parts of the world and we await updated data from European countries. In the UK it is on the rise and we expect growth on the continent as well”. This is the picture traced to time.news Salute by Marco Cavaleri, who is responsible for health risks and vaccination strategies at the European drug agency Ema and chairs the emergency task force.
The Eris variant of Sars-CoV-2 – as the EG.5 family with its sub-lineages, in particular the more widespread EG.5.1, was baptized by experts on social networks – was yesterday elevated by the World Health Organization (WHO) a variant of interest (You). It is therefore a special observation. But, Cavaleri observes, “this subvariant represents an evolution of the virus that is not at all surprising and in fact in line with an evolution of the strains belonging to the XBB family. In fact we expect that the new monovalent XBB vaccines will be able to provide adequate protection against this new variant”, assures the expert who says he “agrees” with the WHO’s invitation to countries not to dismantle virological and epidemiological surveillance for Covid, and to maintain the necessary measures to protect the fragile, starting with vaccinations . Exhortations reiterated in the 7 new recommendations published yesterday by the UN health agency.
The arrival in the EU of the new anti-Covid vaccines, the monovalent anti-XBB, is expected from “September”. The first will be those with mRna. This is the timeline proposed by Marco Cavaleri. The expert, who reiterates the importance of covering some categories in particular with the autumn vaccination campaigns, frail and elderly in primis but “health workers as well”, illustrates an update on the timing envisaged for approval to time.news Salute of anti-XBB monovalents. A calendar in line with expectations: “In September the mRna vaccines (both Pfizer and Moderna are working on it, ed) and in October Novavax”, Cavaleri details. “Probably we will approve in the EU before the US”.
XBB is the most widespread subvariant of Omicron to date, a large family which includes the mutants that have circulated more frequently in the last year, from Arturo (XBB.1.16) to Kraken (XBB.1.5), up to the new variant of interest Eris (EG.5 and its descendants including the fast EG.5.1). For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested developing monovalent vaccines updated to variants of the XBB.1 family and companies are working in this direction.
Who will have to protect themselves in particular? “As already expressed jointly with the ECDC”, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, “it is recommended to revaccinate in the autumn with the new updated vaccines all those who are more vulnerable – explains Cavaleri – i.e. the elderly, immunocompromised or with other pathologies that increase the risk of severe Covid. It would be desirable that health workers were also revaccinated “.
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