variants of concern,” Robertson and his colleagues wrote. COVID pandemic still not over, cases, hospitalizations, deaths dropping, variants of concern, animal-human transmission, need for surveillance. COVID pandemic still ongoing, cases dropping, variants of concern, animal-human transmission, need for surveillance.
and monitor mutations in SARS-CoV-2,” Robertson and his colleagues wrote. As we move forward, we must remain vigilant and prepared for a possible resurgence in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. We must also be aware of the potential for the virus to jump from humans to animals and back again, each time presenting new opportunities for novel mutations in different creatures. To do this, it is essential that we continue to do widespread and equitable surveillance coverage to rapidly detect potential new variants of concern and to monitor for mutations in SARS-CoV-2.
The COVID pandemic is showing signs of waning in the U.S., with January 2023 being less severe than January 2022. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all slightly dropping. However, the metrics are still much higher than what is considered normal. As the virus continues to mutate, it is important to remain vigilant and prepared for a possible resurgence in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Experts are particularly concerned with the virus jumping from humans to animals and then back again, creating a “reservoir” for the virus to hide and potentially spring back. This is called zoonosis or zooanthroponosis, as in the case of a circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants like BQ.1.1 or BF.7 getting passed on from humans to mammals. We have seen this happen with mink, a species in the weasel family that is farmed for its fur.
We now have excellent vaccines for the virus and we know that high-quality masks are effective at mitigating the spread. We also have many drugs and therapies to fight SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. However, as viruses do, SARS-CoV-2 keeps mutating which can make the virus more destructive or less. To monitor for these mutations, it is essential to do widespread and equitable surveillance coverage to rapidly detect potential new variants of concern.
A new paper in the journal Nature Reviews Microbiology attempts to summarize some of the recent changes and help public health experts attempt to handle them. It is important to note that while we may be able to eradicate certain viruses, such as smallpox, it is unlikely we’ll ever totally eradicate any virus, bacteria or pathogen that naturally occurs in animals. Climate change is a big reason for all the recent pandemics and viral illnesses are predicted to worsen as the planet warms. As we move forward, it is important to remain vigilant and prepared for a possible resurgence in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. We must also be aware of the potential for the virus to jump from humans to animals and back again, each time presenting new opportunities for novel mutations in different creatures.
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