TEHRAN – There is a high risk of a new coronavirus wave while the existing variants are not over yet, Behnam Arshi, head of the office of infectious diseases of the Ministry of Health, said.

Facing different strains over the last 2 years proved that coronavirus has numerous unpredictable and surprising behaviors; therefore, people should continue to prioritize compliance with health guidelines and vaccination, he explained.

Currently, the country is in a favorable condition in terms of low transmission rate so that after 26 months of fighting, the number of Covid mortality has reached less than 10 people and it claimed no lives in several days.

But recently, medical researchers announced the risk of an Omicron variant emerging in the world that is resistant to all existing therapeutic antibodies, and the findings indicate that new treatments must be identified to deal with this variant.

According to new research at a German institute, BQ.1.1, is resistant to all approved antibody treatments.

Omicron escapes neutralizing antibodies and causes symptomatic disease even in vaccinated or convalescent individuals due to mutations in the spike protein. This is known as an immune escape and is dangerous for high-risk populations, including the elderly and people with weak immune systems.

Statistics in other countries are worrying; Japan, America, and some European countries are dealing with a three-digit death rate. On the other hand, Iran is located in an area around which the infection is surging, but the biggest factor in maintaining health is vaccination.

So far, about 156 million doses of corona vaccine have been injected in the country, and in recent months, the rate of vaccination has decreased significantly, however, people should receive vaccines regarding the surge in infected cases.

FB/MG