COVID-19 cases rise in France and Europe amid new variant monitoring

COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 variants PQ.16.1.1 European health surveillance epidemiological trends

Health expert Federico Gueli reports a rise in COVID-19 cases in France as of late September, though he notes that circulation levels remain low and are not higher than the same period last year. Similar trends are observed in Italy, which experts attribute to seasonal changes and the reopening of schools rather than a new emergency.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently monitoring four specific variants: recombinant XFG, recombinant NB.1.8.1, the BA.3.2 ‘saltation’ variant, and the PQ.16.1.1 variant. The latter, an evolution of NB.1.8.1, originated in China and has caused significant epidemic waves in parts of Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea.

Entities

China · Federico Gueli · France · Italy · World Health Organization

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] The PQ.16.1.1 variant originated in China and has caused significant epidemic waves in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea. lecodellitorale.it · canaledieci.it · lamilano.it
[● 3 SOURCES] French surveillance networks reported an increase in Covid cases at the end of September compared to the previous week. lecodellitorale.it · canaledieci.it · lamilano.it
[● 3 SOURCES] Current Covid circulation levels in France and Italy are not higher than those recorded during the same period last year. lecodellitorale.it · canaledieci.it · lamilano.it
[● 3 SOURCES] The WHO is monitoring four specific Covid variants: XFG, NB.1.8.1, BA.3.2, and PQ.16.1.1. lecodellitorale.it · canaledieci.it · lamilano.it