11 September 2023 , 17:50
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New Covid variant Pirola is sweeping across the US and is ringing alarm bells among scientists due to its high number of mutations. It is thought to be causing a rise in hospitalisations and deaths, seeing some schools, hospitals and businesses tell people to mask up
Not only have we seen a rise in the number of people being hospitalised and the number of deaths being recorded, but there has also been an increased level of the virus in wastewater samples across the country.
According to experts, this combination of evidence is a cause for concern.
“Every single one of those things is showing us that we have increased rates of Covid transmission in our communities,” said Jodie Guest, a professor of epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta.
After hitting an all-time low in late June, the number of hospitalised Covid patients has continued to creep up. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the week ending August 26 saw 17,400 people hospitalised with Covid, an increase of 16% from the previous week.
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Cases are rising (stock image) (AFP via Getty Images)Across the country, the number of people being sent to the emergency room with a Covid diagnosis has also been rising since early July. Worryingly, the number of deaths has also risen. According to the CDC the weekly death toll for most of summer was under 600, and occasionally dipped below 500, but the week ending August 19th saw numbers rise to 636.
The New Covid variant ‘Pirola’ could be to blame for the rising levels and it is being monitored closely by the World Health Organization.
Pirola has also been detected in Israel, Canada, Denmark, UK, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and Thailand, and there are worries that it will have spread globally before long, especially in the context of decreased testing and Covid surveillance.
The rise in Covid hospitalisations across the country have prompted some schools, hospitals and businesses to encourage or even demand people start wearing masks again.
Mandy Cohen, director of the CDC, tried to reassure the public: “We’re in a much different and better place in August of 2023,” she said. "We have stronger immunity and tools to protect ourselves, we have vaccines, at-home tests, effective treatments and common-sense strategies like washing your hands and staying away from people when you're sick."
She still encouraged people to get vaccinated, warning the virus remains risky for those who are unvaccinated, especially if they are older, with underlying health conditions, or have never had the virus before.
According to Mandy Cohen, around 70% of hospitalisations are of those who are aged 65 and above.