OUR sub-option BA.5member of the “family” variant. Omicrontriggered a massive wave of coronavirus infections around the world.

However, according to the data, the jump in incidence is not accompanied by a sharp increase in the number of deaths.

As can be seen in the related chart posted on Twitter by Eric Topol, a cardiologist and director of the Scripps Translational Research Institute in La Jolla, California, in Greece, there has been a steady rise in cases since June, with deaths correspondingly increasing but not proportional. . On the contrary, in January 2022, at the peak of the incidence, death followed the same path around mid-February.

BA.5 in Greece pic.twitter.com/5Rrdcwfdbx

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) July 18, 2022

According to the latest EODY Weekly Surveillance Report (12/7), in Greece during the two months ending July 1, 2022, the two most common Omicron strain sub-variants randomly isolated from household samples were BA.2 with a percentage of 65. 7% then BA.5 with a rate of 21.9%.

“BA.5 is particularly good at bypassing the immune defenses that were caused by both the vaccine and the previous disease. For this reason, BA.5 has a development advantage over other Omicron sub-options on the market,” Maria van Kerckhoff, WHO Covid-19 Technical Lead, said at a press conference last Tuesday.