New strain of COVID-19 spreads around the world: details

The World Health Organization has taken control of the new variant of the coronavirus BA.3.2, which has already been recorded in more than 20 countries around the world.

This is reported by the BBC.

According to available data, cases of infection with the strain, which is unofficially called “Cicada”, have been detected in the USA, Hong Kong, Mozambique and the UK. Experts emphasize that despite the significant number of mutations, there is currently no evidence that this variant is more dangerous than previous ones.

At the same time, doctors are paying attention to the trend: children are probably infected with this variant more often than adults. Final conclusions have not yet been made.

The strain was named “Cicada” because of its distribution patterns. In some regions, it has been almost inactive for a long time, reminiscent of the behavior of cicadas, which can remain dormant for years.

Last month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported cases in 25 states, with the virus found in both patients and in wastewater samples used to monitor the spread of the infection.

The WHO has placed variant BA.3.2 under the “watchful waiting” category, meaning experts are closely analyzing its properties and potential public health impact.