New COVID-19 wave to hit Europe ‘in the coming week’

London, Oct 27: The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has warned that a new wave of COVID-19 infection will hit in the "coming week", saying new variants of the virus are evolving faster than the ability to supply adaptive vaccines.

"Last week one of these new Omicron variants that is called BQ.1 has been identified in at least five countries in the European Union and European Economic Area," AFP quoted Dr Marco Cavaleri, Head of Health Threats and Vaccines Strategy, as saying at a press conference in The Netherlands on Wednesday.

The EU drug watchdog has pointed out that COVID-19 is not over as new mutations have continued to surface.

"According to the ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) BQ.1 and each sub-lineage, which is called BQ.1.1 will become the dominant strains by mid-November to the beginning of December," he said.

The European health officials have urged people in the high-risk category to get fully vaccinated as the influenza virus and Covid will be circulating simultaneously this winter.

It comes as the cases of BQ.1 and closely related BQ.1.1 subvariants of Omicron cases are in the rise in the Europe and the United States.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) earlier this week said that BQ.1.1 subvariant is circulating in at least 29 countries.