New strain of HES coronavirus: what is dangerous and how not to get infected
A new strain of coronavirus called HES has begun to spread rapidly in Russia. Its symptoms are similar to previous strains, including FLiRT. HES was first identified in Italy back in May and has since spread to other countries. Read more about the new strain of coronavirus, its symptoms, as well as the incidence of disease in Russia and the world - in the material "Izvestia".
HES: what strain, symptoms, danger, distribution
The situation with coronavirus infection does not subside around the world, also continue to appear and spread new strains of Covid-19. The new one is a subspecies, named HES. As reported in the press service of Rospotrebnadzor, this sub-variant of SARS-CoV-2 resulted from two earlier omics - FliRT (from the names of mutations in the genetic code of strains), KS.1.1 and KP.3.3.
The first cases of infection with the XEC strain were reported in Italy as early as May 2024, but it was not documented in Italians until September. In June, XEC was officially detected in Germany. After that, the new strain spread to several other countries in the EU and around the world.
The symptomatology of the XEC strain is similar to the previous FliRT and includes:
- fever;
- sore throat;
- cough;
- loss of sense of smell;
- decreased appetite;
- muscle pain;
- fatigue;
- headache;
- runny nose.
At the same time, HES is characterized by a rapid rate of spread. This is due to its high contagiousness - the probability of not being infected by contact with an infected person is extremely low.
Rospotrebnadzor specialists said that they are monitoring the spread of the new strain of coronavirus and remind that one should not forget about safety and preventive measures during the rise in seasonal morbidity.
Fall and winter seasonal morbidity rate
As earlier "Izvestia" was reported in the press service of the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for social development Anastasia Rakova, Covid-19 accounts for about 27% of all seasonal diseases. At the same time, FLiRT and its genetic lines remain the most widespread strain in Moscow.
It is also important to note that HES, like FLiRT, is usually tolerated quite easily, with patients recovering quickly. Despite the expected increase in incidence during the fall and winter, the number of infections, according to doctors' forecasts, should remain within the normal range.
At the same time, Rospotrebnadzor said last week that the newly discovered COVID-19 mutation enhances the virus' ability to overcome the immune system (IS) barrier.
"<...> In the last two-three weeks, the specific weight of circulating variants of the new coronavirus strains KP.3 and LB.1, which are part of the FLiRT sublineage, has increased by 2.5 times in the Russian Federation," TASS quoted the agency's statement as saying. According to Rospotrebnadzor, the mutations are in the stiliform protein. This avoids immune color. Due to the increase in gender variability in Russia has increased since September, the number of people who have fallen ill.
Rospotrebnadzor also reminded about prophylaxis to protect against COVID-19. The agency recommended to observe personal hygiene: wash hands before eating and after visiting public places. In addition, do not contact with sick people.
The situation with the incidence of Covid in Russia and the world
In Russia, information about the incidence of coronavirus infection is monitored constantly, once a week Rospotrebnadzor publishes an updated report. The latest one came out, on September 24. According to the document, for the period from September 16 to 22, 2,353 people were hospitalized in Russia. Compared to September 9-15, there is a decrease in hospitalizations by 18.2%. Nevertheless, the morbidity rate amounted to 24.99 and increased by 11.4%. The number of detected cases of COVID-19 for the week amounted to more than 36 thousand people, the most people fell ill in the Central Federal District - 11.8 thousand people.
According to the latest report of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the period from July 22 to August 18, the increase in COVID-19 incidence rose by 23% compared to the previous four-week period. In total, more than 238,000 new cases were reported. At the same time, the number of deaths amounted to about 4.4 thousand people - an increase of 44%.
At the same time, WHO draws attention to the fact that the data on morbidity may actually be higher. This is due to a decrease in the tests conducted.
By the number of detected cases of covida over a 28-day period Russia was in second place (more than 37,122 cases), in first place - Italy (62,800). This is followed by Greece (21,903), Romania (17,405) and Poland (11,599). The highest mortality rate continues to be observed in the USA (3,223).
