No one can guarantee that COVID Omicron subvariants will not come to Cyprus

Dr. Zoi Dorothea Pana, member of the Advisory Scientific Committee said no one can guarantee that COVID Omicron subvariants will not come to Cyprus, however she said the situation should be monitored in order to function effectively.

In statements to CNA, Dr. Pana said variations and mutations are an issue that should be dealt with, adding that during this period, some sub-variations of Omicron, BA.4 and BA.5 have been detected, originating from Omicron first detected in South Africa and the US and currently sporadically in Europe.

Initial information, she said, shows that these subvariants are very contagious, similar to Omicron. What needs to be further examined is if they cause severe illness and whether they affect the effectiveness of the existing vaccinations, she added.

The European Commission and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have recently stated that we have to monitor COVID-19 as well as variants and mutations in the future to be able to function timely and effectively and see if any of them become dominant, said Pana.

Asked if these subvariants could come to Cyprus, Pana said no one can rule it out or confirm it. At this stage of the pandemic, she said, especially EU member states, have lifted restrictive measures, adding that Cyprus is among the countries that still have a high immunity due to vaccination.

There are 40 countries, she added, where less than 20% of the population are fully vaccinated. This does not help towards the common goal which is to increase immunity and vaccination coverage of the population in general.

She also said that two years after the pandemic, the immunity is high due to vaccination and people going through the disease. Asked if there will be new relaxation of measures in Cyprus, Dr. Pana said that we should not overlook the fact that we are still in the midst of a pandemic and are aiming towards immunity.

"At this stage we have a balance and we continue to monitor the serious illness and we act accordingly. No one can ensure anything in the coming period. The data for Europe and Cyprus indicate that if nothing new emerges we will have the desired balance until summer. September is a period that certainly concerns us from many aspects," she said.

Dr. Pana also said the World Health Organisation has issued for the first time an official report on  hospital-acquired, antibiotic-resistant infections in connection with COVID-19.

The conclusions suggest we have a second, silent pandemic, that of hospital-acquired infections which are resistant, she said, with the problem although existed before COVID, has now worsened.

She pointed out that 10% of people are affected by hospital acquired infections and succumb.

Dr. Pana added that what is even more important in the World Health Organization's report is that about 70% of these infections can be prevented by proper training and the implementation of best practices.