Rapid Increase in COVID-19 Cases in Western Europe May Lead to New Surge in US – Reports

A new COVID-19 mutation, the BA.2 strain, was discovered by scientists from Denmark on February 15. It is said to be more contagious than previous versions of the virus, even to those who have been vaccinated, but there have been no reports indicating that the disease is more severe.

The new surge of the BA.2 variant in Western Europe may lead to a new wave of infections in the United States, and could come shortly after the lifting of most coronavirus-related restrictions across the country following a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases, according to experts and health authorities.

Germany has reported over 262,000 cases daily, according to the latest data, which is considered a sharp increase compared to the approximately 60,000 infected that the authorities had been reporting earlier in the month. A more moderate surge has also been seen in the UK and other European countries.

Meanwhile, over the past two years, “a widespread outbreak like the one now being seen in Europe has been followed by a similar surge in the US some weeks later.”

“It’s picking up steam. It’s across at least 12 countries … from Finland to Greece,” said Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego, who recently posted charts of the outbreak on Twitter. “There’s no question there’s a significant wave there.”

According to White House spokesperson Jen Psaki, around 30,000 infections of the BA.2 variant have already been detected in the US. They accounted for 23.1 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the country, a 10 percent increase from the week before, according to data from the CDC.

Nevertheless, Psaki stressed that “the tools we have — including mRNA vaccines, therapeutics and tests — are all effective tools against the virus. And we know because it’s been in the country.”

Kristen Nordlund, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told MSN that “although the BA.2 variant has increased in the United States over the past several weeks, it is not the dominant variant, and we are not seeing an increase in the severity of disease.”