"Possibility of Multiple Simultaneous COVID-19 Variants This Fall...Concerns Over Rebound"

On the 18th, as the number of new COVID-19 cases more than doubled compared to last week, soaring to over 33,000, citizens were getting tested at the screening clinic of Yongsan-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight that day, 33,248 new cases were added, bringing the total cumulative cases to 25,164,695. Among the new domestic cases, 33,161 were locally transmitted, and 87 were imported cases. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Yuri] There is a forecast that multiple Omicron subvariants of COVID-19 could simultaneously emerge this fall and winter, potentially causing a resurgence.

According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 18th (local time), the recent speed at which new Omicron subvariants are appearing is so rapid that even experts are struggling to keep up.

About a month ago, BA.2.75 was first identified in South Asia, producing several subvariants, and in the United States, BA.4.6 and BF.7 variants were detected. From a few weeks ago, BQ.1.1 has been hitting Europe and North America hard, and recently the XBB variant has also been spreading.

According to a report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the 14th, 11% of confirmed cases in the U.S. were infected with BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. Other Omicron lineage variants such as BA.2.75.2 (1.4%) and BA.4 (0.6%) have also been identified in the U.S.

Although many people have developed immunity to Omicron variants through vaccination and previous infections, there are concerns that this safety net may not last long.

Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College London, told WP, "These subvariants are more likely to lead to reinfections than the currently circulating viruses," adding, "They have a high potential to accelerate the spread of infections this winter."

In China, research has shown that XBB can evade immune antibodies generated by BA.5 infections. This means that even those previously infected with existing Omicron variants or vaccinated with updated vaccines could be reinfected by new subvariants.

In Europe, the spread of COVID-19 is already accelerating again. Experts have pointed to the resumption of school classes, increased indoor activities, and the seasonality of the virus as causes, but WP analyzed that the impact of Omicron variants also appears to be a factor.