European Medicines Agency (EMA) urges the European countries to prepare for a new COVID wave. The Omicron BA.5 variant is still the dominant variant in Europe.

‘The Omicron BA.5 variant is still the dominant variant circulating in Europe. We still have to be alert on other variants. For instance, the BA.4.6 is quickly spreading in the US and has already been detected in Europe. Also, the BA.2.75 variant is of concern.’

"However, as autumn approaches, we need to prepare for a new wave of infections," he said.





Return of COVID-19 in Europe
Cavaleri said that the same scenario occurred over the past two years, with a new wave coming up in autumn and that this trend is likely to return this year.The top health official also emphasized the importance of looking out for new variants of the coronavirus.
"What is clear to me and what should be very clear from Cavaleri’s presentation is that we in Europe still consider the pandemic as ongoing," EMA Chief Medical Officer Steffen Thirstrup added.
The EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has recommended the authorization of adapted vaccines targeting the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 in addition to the original strain of COVID-19.
Source-IANS