<
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8257772/covid-19-caution-as-more-infectious-variant-detected/>
'A new COVID-19 strain has been found to be 50 per cent more infectious than
previous variants amid calls for greater vigilance this winter.
Deakin University epidemiology chair Professor Catherine Bennett said the FU.1
strain was not a joke. It has been detected in southeast Asia and India.
"The names get very convoluted and that's why we tend to see these alternative
names used, so it just distinguishes this one," Professor Bennett said.
Professor Bennett said FU.1 was more infectious than previous variants but, "it
doesn't seem to be causing severe illness, which is the good news."
The FU.1 strain was initially found in Thailand in May 2023. Professor Bennet
said there weren't any reported hospitalisations or deaths linked to the new
variant despite its higher infectivity.
"It is reassuring that with the WHO data across the world, looking at all the
regions, that generally hospitalisations are on the decline," she said.
"So that's helpful. If this is in the southeast Asian region in particular,
we're not actually seeing it resulting in more people that are very unwell at
this stage."
Professor Bennett said Australians should be cautious of FU.1 during the winter
period.
"It might just contribute to another surge during our winter period - we do
want to be on alert if we have another variant in the mix," she said.'
Via Violet Blue’s
Pandemic Roundup: July 6, 2023
https://www.patreon.com/posts/pandemic-roundup-85669579
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
