The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warned on Friday of the spread of a new sub-variant of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which is expected to cause an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Europe in the coming weeks.

At least five European countries detected the spread of the BQ.1 strain in the first week of October, the ECDC reported, as reported by EFE and Agerpres.

Epidemiological models from this institution predict that subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 will become dominant in Europe from mid-November or early December.

This is likely to lead to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks and months, the European institution warned, noting that previous research in Asia showed that the relevant subtype of the Omicron variant has the ability to bypass the body’s immune response.

Currently, the European countries where the BQ.1 subvariant is most common (as a percentage of total Covid-19 cases) are France (19%), Belgium (9%), Ireland (7%), the Netherlands (6%) and Italy (5%).

ECDC notes that these percentages are still low enough for the new subvariant to have a noticeable impact on the epidemiological situation in the countries concerned.

However, currently available data do not suggest that the BQ.1 variant may be associated with more severe disease compared to other Omicron subvariants that are currently common.

However, ECDC director Andrea Ammon insisted that European countries remain vigilant for signals of the spread of the Omicron subvariant and continue to monitor the evolution of infections and indicators of the severity of the disease, such as hospitalizations and occupancy of intensive care units.

Increasing vaccination rates remains a priority, also signaled by the ECDC, which estimates that risk groups such as people over 60 and those with co-morbidities need additional booster doses.

Meanwhile, the US National Public Health Agency warned on Thursday that the new Omicron sub-variant could be more problematic because it is more transmissible and contains a mutation that could help it bypass the effects of some anti-Covid-19 drugs used in people with reduced immunity