EU public health agency warns of probable increase in COVID cases in coming weeks
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The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDPC) said that given rising cases of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5, they will likely become the dominant variants and "probably" lead to an increase in COVID cases.
A notice from the agency said that in Portugal, BA.5 has become prevalent, and with it, a surge in COVID cases.
ECDPOC noted there is no evidence that BA.4 and BA.5 have increased infection severity compared to earlier Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.2.
"The extent of the increase in COVID-19 cases will depend on various factors, including immune protection against infection influenced by the timing and coverage of COVID-19 vaccination regimes, and the extent, timing and variant landscape of previous SARS-CoV-2 pandemic waves," the agency said.
ECDPOC added that additional booster doses will be needed for those most at risk for severe illness "in anticipation of future waves."
Vaccine makers: AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN), Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and Novavax (NVAX).
Earlier this month, Moderna (MRNA) and the European Commission amended an agreement so booster doses can be received later this year or in 2023.