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CIDRAP - Global COVID-19 plateau continues as WHO notes another variant

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  • CIDRAP - Global COVID-19 plateau continues as WHO notes another variant

    Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-pers...nother-variant


    Global COVID-19 plateau continues as WHO notes another variant
    Lisa Schnirring | News Editor | CIDRAP News
    | Sep 01, 2021


    The world reported 4.4 million new COVID-19 cases last week, similar to the previous week, as the World Health Organization (WHO) added B1612—now called Mu—as a variant of interest.
    In other developments, a large group of global health experts called on world leaders to hold a United Nations summit on ending the pandemic, and the WHO and Germany today inaugurated a new hub for pandemic and outbreak data.

    WHO tracks Mu variant

    In its latest weekly snapshot of the pandemic, the WHO noted that cases were down in all of the world's regions except for the Western Pacific, which reported a 7% rise in cases. Globally, the level of deaths also held steady compared with the week before.
    Countries reporting the most cases last week include the United States, India, Iran, the United Kingdom, and Brazil.
    Patterns reflect a mixed picture, with some countries reporting notable spikes, including Ethiopia, with a 61% rise, followed by Timor-Leste with 32%, Canada 28%, Guatemala 23%, Sri Lanka 19%, and India 17%.
    Seven more countries reported their first detections of the highly transmissible Delta (B1617.2) variant, raising the total to 170.
    In a related development, the WHO after its latest assessments designated B1621, first seen in Colombia in January, as a variant of interest and gave it the Greek alphabet name Mu. The virus bears watching, because it has mutations connected to immune escape, similar to what was seen with the Beta (B1351) variant.
    Early data show a reduced neutralization in the sera of those who recovered from natural infection or were vaccinated, but more studies are needed to confirm the findings, the WHO said.
    Mu has been found sporadically and has fueled some larger outbreaks in South America and Europe. So far, about 4,500 sequences of the variant from 39 countries have been uploaded to the GISAID database. The WHO said the global prevalence of Mu has declined, but prevalence is steadily rising in Colombia and Ecuador.
    "The epidemiology of the Mu variant in South America, particularly with the co-circulation of the Delta variant, will be monitored for change," it said.

    Call for high-level pandemic summit

    A large group of global health experts, including several former top US health officials, today called on world leaders to have a summit during the upcoming United Nations (UN) General Assembly aimed at ending the pandemic. The next UN General Assembly opens on Sep 14.
    In a letter shared with the Washington Post, the group called on world leaders to take steps to make 7 billion high-quality vaccine doses available by the end of 2021 and make another 7 billion available by the middle of 2022. The goal is to vaccinate 70% of the world's population by the middle of 2022.
    "We are in a race against time. Without immediate action, there will be millions more infections and deaths, and new variants could emerge and pierce vaccine immunity," they said, adding that people everywhere should have access to testing, treatment, and other live-saving interventions.

    More global headlines
    • The WHO and Germany today inaugurated the new WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, which is based in Berlin. In a statement, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said the world needs a way to detect new pandemic-potential events and monitor the impact of control steps in real time. Germany provided an initial $100 million investment, and the new effort will be housed within the WHO's Health Emergencies Program. Chikwe Ihekweazu, MD, MPH, who currently leads Nigeria's Center for Disease Control, has been appointed to lead the hub.
    • New Zealand's lockdown eased today for most of the country, except in the hot spot of Auckland, where the measure will last 2 more weeks, according to Reuters. The country reported 75 more cases, all but 1 in Auckland. And in Australia, officials extended a lockdown for Melbourne for 3 more weeks as cases jumped from 76 to 120 and officials placed an emphasis on ramping up vaccination before easing restrictions.
    • The global total today rose to 217,843,003 cases, along with at least 4,519,591 deaths, according to the New York Times tracker.










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