Based on the history of the 1889 global coronavirus pandemic, we expect waves of COVID-19 infections to strike various populations for several years.
We now have enough data that specific patterns associated with COVID-19 outbreaks are becoming apparent. It appears that stretches for an outbreak in a region last approximately eight weeks.
The Covid Delta variant may finally have started to peak in the US – amid speculation it has followed the same two month trajectory as other prior mutations.While cases in the United States are still rising, the rate has slowed in recent weeks, leading many experts to believe the variant that devastated the nation is running out of fuel.Cases grew by 67 percent from August 2 to August 16, from 85,000 per day to 142,000 per day, and only 15 percent, 139,000 per day to 160,000 per day from August 17 to 31….Previous surges have often last around two months, though, and with Delta first erupting in the Midwest at the end of June, this peak could represent the mutation following the same schedule as prior variants, which began to fall after two months.Cycles of the Delta variant have also lasted around two months in many countries that were struck by the virus earlier than the United States.
Earlier this week, I explained that the World Health Organization identified two types of variant classes. We have “Variants of Interest” whose mutation may cause therapeutic issues or may have enhanced transmissibility. Then we have “Variants of Concern,” which are mutant viruses known to have higher transmission rates, pose therapeutic challenges, and cause more severe disease). Once identified, classified variants get a Greek letter designation.
WHO has now added the “Mu” strain to its list of COVID-19 “variants of interest.”
The strain, also know as B.1.621, was first documented in Colombia in January 2021 but didn’t receive an official designation until Aug. 30.According to a WHO report, the mu variant shows signs of evading COVID-19 vaccine protection.”The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,” the report said.
The strain originated in Colombia and has since been detected in the United States and Europe. It is being reported that 2000 cases of the Mu variant have been identified in the United States.
The WHO report said: ‘Since its first identification in Colombia in January 2021, there have been a few sporadic reports of cases of the Mu variant and some larger outbreaks have been reported from other countries in South America and in Europe.’Although the global prevalence of the Mu variant among sequenced cases has declined and is currently below 0.1 percent, the prevalence in Colombia (39 percent) and Ecuador (13 percent) has consistently increased.’The epidemiology of the Mu variant in South America, particularly with the co-circulation of the Delta variant, will be monitored for changes.’
COVID-19 in all its various forms is here to stay. Wise health officials will make plans around having hospitals prepare for two-month cycles, ramping up healthcare and treatment efforts around those cycles, and educating the public about how they can take personal responsibility for being healthy.
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